2017 Holtby Scholarship Recipient

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June 3, 2017
Manitoba Registered Music Teachers’ Association
c/o Leanne Hiebert, MRMTA President
56 Garnet Bay,
Winnipeg, MB
R3T 0L6

Dear MRMTA Scholarship Committee,
I am filled with gratitude as I write this letter. I would like to thank the MRMTA from the bottom of my heart for granting me one of the 2017 Holtby scholarships, as it is enabling me to continue to follow my dream of completing the Grade X and ARCT in piano performance.
When I began taking piano lessons, I fell in love the beauty of music. Music has become woven into the threads of my identity, and has significantly developed my character. Lessons of discipline, devotion, and determination have rippled into every facet of my life, and I cannot imagine being without the ability to create such a divine form of art. Playing piano has provided me with some incredible opportunities, such as performing in the Winnipeg and Manitoba music festivals, performing at pre-concerts for the WSO with my piano studio, and most recently, performing at the Janina Fialkowska masterclass. To be in the place I am now would not have been possible without the unwavering guidance of my teacher, Ms Jacqueline Ryz. I am so grateful that she has been my mentor for so many years. Her expertise is what has shaped me into the pianist I am today.
Right now, I am still fifteen years old. That being said, I am still unsure of the direction my life will take. Regardless of the path I follow, I know that playing the piano will always be something as constant in my being as the sun in the sky. My family and I are unbelievably grateful for the generosity of the MRMTA. This scholarship is a gift that I am so blessed to receive, and I will eternally be humbled for being chosen to be a recipient of this honour. I intend to use the valuable opportunities this scholarship has made available to myself to the absolute fullest.
Sincerely,
Nika Martinussen