Avista Awards U of I Scholarship for Top Jazz Festival Performers
Allyson LeForce made her debut at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in 2012 as a sixth-grader from Potlatch Elementary School. She won her division as a vocalist.
A frequent performer at the ¹û¶³´«Ã½Â鶹Éç’s signature music festival in the years past, LeForce will perform at the 2020 festival. She is now a U of I freshman majoring in philosophy and microbiology and singing with the Jazz Choir 1.
In 2017, LeForce won her division, and as the top vocalist of the day, she received a scholarship to the U of I from Avista. “This scholarship has greatly lessened the financial burden and has allowed college to be more affordable to me,” she said.
Since 2017, Avista has awarded six scholarships to outstanding vocal and instrumental high school students. In 2020, the company will expand its support to offer additional scholarships to the second-place finishers.
“Avista is proud to support one of the largest and oldest educational jazz festivals in the world,” said Paul Kimmell, business and public affairs manager at Avista. “We offer our sincere congratulations to Allyson, the first Avista Scholarship winner to attend the ¹û¶³´«Ã½Â鶹Éç this year.”
“Every experience at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival has been amazing,” LeForce said. “Funding and supporting the arts gives students like me the opportunity to pursue our passions while also pursuing our education.”
