Bruce Kotowich, Vincent Georgie, Lilly Korkontzelos, Shahida Nurullah, Nicholas PapadorJudges Bruce Kotowich, Vincent Georgie, and (at right) Nicholas Papador congratulate Ianni scholarship winner Lilly Korkontzelos and her teacher Shahida Nurullah.

Jazz vocalist claims top honours in student scholarship competition

Winning the Ron W. Ianni Memorial Scholarship in Music Performance is an honour that goes beyond its $500 prize, says second-year voice major Lilly Korkontzelos.

“To me, this represents not only my musical ability, but also that the work I have dedicated to honing my craft is just as imperative as talent,” says the jazz singer, who beat out six fellow music majors Sunday to finish atop a competition spanning instruments and genres. “Receiving the Ianni scholarship has further heightened my drive to succeed in the future.”

Korkontzelos studies with instructor Shahida Nurullah, and says that while she has trained in other genres, including classical and musical theatre, her love of jazz always seems to prevail.

The Ianni Scholarship Competition honours the late UWindsor president and features those students who performed best in the December juries. This year’s competition was judged by Vincent Georgie, director of the School of Creative Arts, and music professors Bruce Kotowich and Nicholas Papador.