Dear Contributors to the Vic Issa Memorial Scholarship,

I am proud to announce that in spring 2001, the Department of Music awarded the first Vic Issa Memorial Scholarship to Amirosh Issa (Vic's brother), who has been a cello student at UTA since January, 2000. Amirosh was chosen as recipient based on a submitted one-page essay and an audition before faculty members. In addition to receiving the Vic Issa Scholarship for the 2001-2002 academic year, Amirosh was awarded the Rick Bateham Memorial Scholarship, and the UTA Faculty Centennial Scholarship. He was also winner of the UTA Symphony Concerto Competition, and played movements II and III from Schumann's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra on the April concert.

In addition to these honors, Amirosh spent three weeks in July and August this summer playing under the baton of Daniel Barenboim in Chicago as part of Building Bridges Through Music: the West-Eastern Divan Workshop for Young Musicians, an orchestra made up of young professionals from the middle east. His participation was a result of a personal recommendation from Yo-Yo Ma.

In October, Amirosh was invited by Yo-Yo Ma to join his non-profit performing ensemble project Silk Road for a series of concerts in Dallas, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.. Amirosh was the only student performing in a professional ensemble comprised of two violins, two violas, cello and bass, and several folk instruments from the Middle East accompanying Mr. Ma. While in Washington, he was also invited to perform in a trio with Mr. Ma as part of a memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery. This coming week, Amirosh will join Mr. Ma for a repeat of the October concerts in Syria.

I am fortunate to have Amirosh as a member of my cello studio, and I believe that he is an exemplary representative of the values that Vic demonstrated as a student at UTA. Vic always spoke of Amirosh with admiration and pride and it seems especially appropriate that Amirosh would be the first recipient of this award in Vic's memory. Amirosh will be performing in recital in the Department of Music in spring 2002 - the date has not yet been chosen.

Thank you once again for your generous support of the Vic Issa Memorial Scholarship fund.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Morrow