Carson City students awarded Rosemary Nebesky Memorial Scholarships

Diana Bañuelos, Nathan Parsons and Viviana Castro were awarded the fourth annual Rosemary Nebesky Memorial Scholarships by the Carson City Symphony Association this month.

The scholarship was established by John and Jennifer Webley of Santa Rosa, Calif., in memory of Rosemary Nebesky, who loved music and children and had been a friend and board member of the Carson City Symphony Association. It is awarded each year to one or more Carson City students age 5 to 17 for instrumental music lessons. The winners this year were selected from several well-qualified applicants.

Bañuelos is a 14-year-old student in eighth grade at Dayton Intermediate School, which does not have a string program in the schools. Bañuelos studies violin in Carson City with Laura Gibson and plays in the Carson City Symphony’s afterschool Youth Strings program, where she has advanced to the intermediate ensemble. Her teacher says that she “has progressed very quickly on the violin because of her hard work and excellent attitude.” She will use the scholarship to continue her private violin lessons.

Parsons, 13, is an eighth grader at Carson Middle School, where he plays violin, trumpet and saxophone. He plays in STRAZZ, Carson City Symphony’s advanced youth strings ensemble, and in his school advanced orchestra, advanced band jazz band and marching band and outside of Carson City in the Reno Philharmonic Youth Orchestra program, the All-State Band and more. His goal is to be a music major and ultimately a band director, and he is demonstrating his leadership skills by mentoring other students and assisting his teachers.

Castro, 13, is an eighth grader at Carson Middle School, where she plays in the beginning orchestra. Although she has sung in choir for five years, it was only last year that she decided to play violin. She said, “I’m an eighth grader, just starting out on an instrument, and I don’t regret the decision at all.” Castro practices in all her free time, and will use the scholarship for private lessons. She said, “I’m running to catch up, and I hope this will only increase my pace.”

The next round of scholarships will be awarded in fall 2020.

For information about the scholarship and the application process, contact the Symphony at 775-883-4154.