Brian is currently a seventh grader at Kirby School and enjoys playing the cello. Brian started learning music in the third grade, then joined El Sistema in the 4th grade. On why he chose the cello, “I didn’t know what it was. They picked it for me, but I fell in love with it.” He enjoys playing in groups. “With El Sistema we got to play in Berkeley, at some retirement homes in Santa Cruz, and then over the summer we went to play at the Church Street Fair.”
Brian and his parents are very grateful for the continued opportunities the Mueller Scholarship provides them. According to his father, “My wife and I moved to the United States from South America to give our children better opportunities. Brian, our oldest son, loves playing the cello. He is really serious about learning and practicing. We'll do anything to help him accomplish his goal but unfortunately can't pay for private lessons.”
The Symphony is thrilled to be able to help families like these afford music lessons and further their children’s love of music.
The Mueller Scholarship Fund was established with Ruth G. Mueller’s bequest in 1989 “to be used for youth music camperships and music scholarships for needy and deserving children.” In 2017-18, the Symphony awarded 26 scholarships worth over $11,000 to music students ranging in age from 9 to 17.