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Fulbright-Trinity Laban Scholar Garrett Snedeker has been awarded a Barzun Prize for Youth Engagement to pioneer a project in the UK.

Now in its third year, the Barzun Prize for Youth Engagement is awarded annually to American Fulbright grantees. The $10,000 Prize enables winners to run pioneering projects in their local communities whilst they study in Britain.

Fulbright-Trinity Laban Scholar Garrett Snedeker has received one of the four grants for his proposal, Intersections.

The project, run in collaboration with Trinity Laban, is a 10-year music programme for under-served teenagers in Southeast London where the students will learn to compose, play and perform original pieces that reflect their identity and creativity.

Garrett explains how the project will work – 

On receiving the prize, Garrett commented –

“This ten-year program will serve the vision that music is for everyone, music can tell the story of our identities, and creating music ourselves can help us realise new possibilities for our lives.”

Garrett was presented with his prize by former US Ambassador Matthew Barzun, who funds the award, at an event on Friday 17 January at King’s College London.

Having graduated from Washington State University, American pianist Garrett joined our Faculty of Music in September 2019. He has already made an impact at Trinity Laban, contributing to our Venus Blazing Symposium in December 2019 and leading a CoLab project this February exploring Beethoven’s use of sonata form and Identity, where he worked with a string quartet, harp, and dancers.

On 12 May, Garrett will present a lecture recital on gender connotations in Beethoven’s piano sonatas as part of our Beethoven+ Series, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the infamous composer’s birth.

This is the fourth year we have worked with the US-UK Fulbright Commission to offer the opportunity for US citizens to study at a UK Higher Education institution.

In addition, earlier this year we welcomed Illinois State University’s Associate Professor of Voice Justin Vickers, who has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, to lead workshops on modern song cycles and opera with our vocal students.

You can find out more about the Fulbright Scholarship by visiting our international pages.

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Image L-R: Matthew Barzun, Garrett Snedeker