Oak Harbor Music Festival’s Board of Directors recently announced that three scholarships were awarded to Whidbey Island graduating seniors, according to a press release.

Multi-talented Julia Maher of South Whidbey High School has had a passion for music since early childhood. She has honed her skills on a variety of instruments and conducted student bands. She plans to study to become a music instructor.

Oak Harbor’s award-winning trumpeter Paige Jenkins will attend the University of Washington this fall, where she intends to study music and visual arts while majoring in political science.

Samantha Zenger heads from Whidbey to Oregon State University after spending her Oak Harbor High School years in marching band, jazz band and wind ensemble. She’ll continue playing and performing while pursuing a major in environmental science.

Each scholar was awarded $3,000 to apply to college tuition.

“What a thrill to continue our tradition of honoring high school seniors every year and helping them to continue being inspired by the power of music,” Music Festival Board President Cynthia Mason said. “In our first ten years, through 2021, we awarded 34 scholarships to deserving local musicians for a total of $63,500. This is a beautiful testament to the support we get from the Whidbey Island community that has been so loyal to us over the years.”

Oak Harbor Music Festival’s mission is to inspire our community with the power of music. As a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2012, the festival is three days of free music on Pioneer Way every Labor Day weekend.