Usdan Center Awards Violinist with Scholarship

The Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts in Wheatley Heights granted violinist Jacqueline Levine with a full summer music scholarship.

Levine, an 18-year-old senior at Plainview Old Bethpage-John F. Kennedy High School and a two-time scholarship award-winner of the Nassau Music Educators Association, was awarded the new Isaac Stern String Scholarship, named after the musician and humanitarian credited with saving Canegie Hall.

“We are delighted to have a student of Jackie’s caliber as the winner of the first Isaac Stern Scholarship. Jackie is not only a fine violinist, but she is a scholar as well. Usdan’s faculty believes that she represents the intent of the Stern Foundation, that of supporting an outstanding musician who will take full advantage of Usdan’s outstanding program and faculty," Dale Lewis, Usdan’s Executive Director, said in a statement.

Levine returns to Usdan this year, having studied at the center in two prior seasons. She attended additional summer music festivals, including the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and the Aspen Music Festival and School.

She studied violin at the Manhattan School of Music pre-college division for three years, and was selected for the 2011 All State Orchestra, where she held one of the principal violin chairs. Levine has also been selected for the Nassau All County Music Festival for each of the past seven years.

Levine's teachers also admire her service to the Long Island community. She has given performances at veteran’s homes, community centers and elementary schools. She is president of the Tri-M Music Honor Society at POB-JFK High School and will attend Princeton University this fall.