Scholarships - Music for Humanity

$26,000 in Music Scholarships in 2026

Music for Humanity 2026 Grand Scholarship of $10,000.

Applications are only accepted from February 15th thru April 30th for the following academic year. There is a $30 non-refundable application fee, which must be paid immediately after submitting your application via PayPal, Credit or Debit Card.

On July 18th we will award another $26,000 in music scholarships bringing our grand total to $233,000 and 87 music scholarships.

We’ll announce the scholarships on Saturday night July 18th at our 189th Free Performance Night at Noble Coffee Roasters in Campbell Hall NY and via email. Sign up for our email list here:
http://eepurl.com/N5BJD

In 2026, the grand prize winner will be awarded $10,000. Runner-up is $5,000 and Third Place will receive $3,000. Eight Honorable Mentions of $1,000 each for a total of $26,000.

Starting in 2026 all colleges & universities are limited to a maximum of three scholarships per year.

Bonus: All applicants have the option to receive a free 30 minute consultation from a leading authority in the world of arts public relations, with over 40 years of experience representing some of the most celebrated talents in classical music and opera. Once you complete and remit payment you’ll receive an email about this opportunity. There is no further obligation for either you or the publicist to continue the relationship.

Runner-Up Prize of $5,000 in honor of Michael Pantaleo

Our brother Michael was born on May 12, 1951. and died January 25, 1981, when he was tragically murdered.

He was always drawing and painting when we were young. He started playing clarinet, which we still have, then saxophone, and then piano and organ. He was an elementary school music teacher in West New York and the organist for St. Michael’s Monastery in Union City, which is now a Korean church.

He enjoyed life and loved to travel. Michael and his sister Eileen spent 3 weeks traveling in Europe in 1971. Michael also spent a week in Italy in 1974 with his brother Steven. Michael and/or our cousin Janet would play piano for hours at every family party. A good friend of his told us that once, back in the 70s, they were staying at a beach front hotel in Miami and many late afternoons Michael would play piano in the bar area to the delight of many.

Thank you for helping to keep his spirit alive by naming the 2025 Music for Humanity Runner-up Scholarship for $5,000 in his honor. He was a great person, brother, son, uncle, cousin and friend. We were all fortunate to know him, but unfortunately for too short a time.

Steven Pantaleo, Eileen and John Lanza

Your Three Judges

Charles Mokotoff, Chairperson

CHARLES MOKOTOFF holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in guitar performance from Syracuse University and Ithaca College, respectively. He has served on the faculties of numerous colleges and universities in New York and the New England area as a lecturer in classical guitar and lute.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Mokotoff made his home in New England where he was widely recognized as an active guitarist and lutenist. During that period his career culminated with two Far East tours and a well-received New York City debut at Carnegie Hall in 1987.

Solo and ensemble recitals over the past few seasons have included performances in Chicago, Boston, New York City, Ann Arbor, MI, St. Petersburg FL and Asheville NC.

Classical Guitar Magazine (U.K.) has called his playing, “truly monumental” as well as “engaging and rhapsodic.”

ClassicalGuitarMusic.org has written that his playing shows “a mix of strong tone, pianistic at times, but also capable of beautiful legato phrasing and a natural feel for forward movement.”

Mr. Mokotoff was described by the New York Times as “exceptional among debutantes…a thoughtful, gentlemanly artist, technically fastidious and able to coax a range of sounds from his instrument.”

Currently Mr. Mokotoff has homes in both Tampa, FL and New York City.

Ryan Soeyadi

Ryan Soeyadi is a pianist based in New York City and a staff pianist for viola at The Juilliard School. He was the 2018 and 2020 grand scholarship winner of Music for Humanity and the first prize winner of the 2018 Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition in Washington, D.C.

Soeyadi earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from The Juilliard School in 2021 and a Master’s degree in Collaborative Piano from Juilliard in 2023. His additional honors include awards from the NY Steinway & Sons Competition and the Mieczysław Munz Competition at Juilliard.

He has received piano fellowships to the Manchester Music Festival, Pianofest in the Hamptons, and the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and has performed for artists such as Stephen Hough, Emanuel Ax, and Matti Raekallio.

Shavon Lloyd

While maintaining an active career as a baritone, music educator, conductor, and award-winning composer, Shavon Lloyd has been praised as an “uber-talented” artist (Times Herald Record).

He holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from The Juilliard School, where he appeared in multiple operatic productions. Lloyd has worked with major opera companies including Opera Theatre of St. Louis and Opera Saratoga, and recently made his European debut in Geneva, Switzerland, as the baritone soloist in the world premiere of Everyone, Everywhere by Daron Hagen, commissioned by the United Nations.

A prizewinner with Opera Ebony, Opera Index, and The Classical Singer Competition, Lloyd is also a Novick Career Grant recipient.

His choral works have received national awards and have been performed internationally. Lloyd currently lives in New York City, where he is a Senior Associate Conductor for the National Children’s Chorus, a frequent guest clinician and conductor, and an international performer of both classical and musical theatre repertoire.

Scholarship Application

If the financial awards/scholarships you have received for the current year are greater than your annual tuition, then you are not eligible for an MFH scholarship.

By checking this box I certify I am not receiving additional financial awards that would cover the tuition payments I am required to make to further my education. I also certify that I am not a previous Grand Scholarship winner. (Previous Grand Scholarship winners are ineligible to apply.) Finally, I certify that I will be enrolled to attend a college/university as a music major this coming fall semester. If I decide to withdraw my enrollment, I must notify MFH immediately and my application will be withdrawn. I understand that failure to notify MFH may result in not being allowed to apply for a scholarship again.

No use of AI for essay

By checking this box I certify that my written essay was written without the assistance of AI.

First Name

Middle Initial

Last Name:

Email:

Date of Birth:

Permanent Mailing Address:

City:

Province or State:

Country

Zip Code:

Home Telephone Number (include country code and area code):

Mobile Phone Number (include country code & area code):

We need the address of the financial office at your college/university. This is where your scholarship check will be sent:

If available enter your Student Id# here:

Attn: Financial Office

City:

Province or State:

Country

Zip Code:

Family income range:

What is the genre of music you perform and want to pursue?

List your Musical Talents:

What is your primary instrument?

Current Class Standing:

Year in School to which Scholarship would apply:

Current Cumulative Grade Point Average:

List any professional work experience, extracurricular activities, and/or awards and honors:

Postgraduate Plans:

In essay format (up to 500 words), tell us about your musical background, experience, your musical aspirations and your desire to continue your education in this field. Also create an unlisted YouTube video (up to 3 minutes) expressing what you put in the essay. Explain what you wrote, but do not just read what you wrote:

Paste the link to your unlisted YouTube speaking video (up to 3 minutes) explaining what is in your essay:

Samples of your work: (List YouTube URLs that provide samples of your talent. If you would like to provide a Website address, please do. But we must have at least one YouTube video that will serve as your audition for this award.

YouTube Sample #2

YouTube Sample #3

Website Sample

Please acknowledge the following:

I am applying to Music for Humanity for a scholarship towards my tuition at College/University named in the application. I give permission to the above-mentioned college/university to discuss my financial details for the school year 2026-27 with a representative of Music for Humanity.

Certification:

I certify that the information provided on this application and all supplemental forms is complete and correct to the best of my knowledge. I further certify that if I am chosen as a scholarship recipient, I will use those funds only for expenses related to my education in an institution in the United States and I will provide a transcript or official notice of accomplishment at the end of the school year, or academic semester for which the scholarship will apply. If approved for a scholarship, you agree to provide a photograph of yourself for publicity purposes and agree to allow MFH to publicize your scholarship award. I understand that there is no appeal process and will abide by the scholarship committee's final decision.

By sharing my image, videos, and samples, I give MFH permission to share it publicly. We reserve the right to verify any and all information provided in this application. Application deadline: Midnight April 30, 2026.

Your Initials:

Please acknowledge the following:

Immediately following the submission of this form, you will be redirected to the $30 application payment form. You understand that the payment must be made in order for the application process to continue.