Lily Kawehi Gouveia (right) stands for a photo with Maui Pops Orchestra conductor Jim Durham. Courtesy photo

Every year, the Maui Pops Orchestra awards scholarships to outstanding Maui music students. Four young musicians recently received Auriol Flavell Student Scholarship Awards to help them pursue higher education in music.

Playing cello with the Maui Youth Philharmonic and the Hawaii Youth Symphony Concert Orchestra, Kamehameha Schools Maui sophomore Avery Mirabelle Springer Pendergraft was awarded $1,000.

“I was very grateful and surprised to hear that I had been selected,” said Pendergraft.

Passionate about the cello, she said it’s something that helps her connect.

“I feel like it’s my voice, and when I play the cello, I feel like I can communicate with the world better,” she explained.

Avery Mirabelle Springer Pendergraft is one of the students who has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Maui Pops Orchestra. Courtesy photo

She plans to pursue a performance degree in cello, minoring in music theory and composition and eventually earn a master’s degree in music education. Studying Japanese, she hopes to attend the Tokyo University of Arts.

“I would love to play professionally in an orchestra as well as become a teacher, maybe a professor at a college or a high school teacher,” Pendergraft said.

A 2024 graduate of Kamehameha Schools Maui, Lily Kawehi Gouveia was awarded $1,000.

“I felt really proud of this one because the scholarships I have gotten were for academics,” said Gouveia. “They weren’t for music, so I felt like this was more special.”

A Pukalani resident, she is currently studying for an associate’s degree in liberal arts at the University of Hawaii Maui College and will study music composition online with the Berklee College of Music.

“My plan is to become a music teacher,” said Gouveia, who also serves as an educational assistant at St. Anthony School. “I’m not sure what age group yet, probably secondary. I would like to go back to the school I graduated from, Kamehameha.”

A multi-instrumentalist, she plays ukulele, guitar, drums and “this instrument called a charango from Bolivia.” As far as any future plans to make an album, she said, “that’s like my non-career dream.”

On May 8, she will play at a Starry Night Cinema screening of “The Little Mermaid” at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.

A friend of Pendergraft, Maui High School student Kristine Mary Tabbada was surprised at winning a $1,000 award.

“When I first told my friends in my orchestra that I got it and my other friend Avery got it too, it was kind of a shocker because they told me that for the past few years they’ve been applying and they got rejected because most of the awards were given to seniors,” said Tabbada. “When me and Avery got it, I felt so lucky because we’re both sophomores.”

Kristine Mary Tabbada plays piano and violin and sings in her school’s choral program. She will perform with the Maui Community Orchestra in a free concert on April 19 at St. Anthony Church. Courtesy photo

A member of the Maui Youth Philharmonic and the Maui Community Orchestra, Tabbada plays piano and violin and sings in her school’s choral program. She will perform with the Maui Community Orchestra in a free “Eclectic Soundscapes” concert on April 19 at St. Anthony Church, sponsored by the Wave of Harmony Foundation.

“We are trying to upscale the community orchestra right now, so our productions are hopefully going to be bigger,” Tabbada said.

After graduation in 2028, Tabbada hopes to attend Columbia University and join its orchestral programs. “I’m hoping I’ll be able to at least minor in music because it’s just something that’s in my heart my whole life,” she said. “So many musicians inspire me, and I want to be just like them and share it with the rest of the world.”

The fourth award winner, Baldwin High School graduate Matthew Noel Torres Yagin, received $2,000.

“It’s definitely exciting,” said Yagin, who attends the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “School is definitely expensive, and any kind of support is helpful.”

Matthew Noel Torres Yagin (right) performs with the University of Hawaii Wind Ensemble. Courtesy photo

Studying classical saxophone, he has performed in a variety of ensembles that play different genres.

“My degree is in music education, so I’m taking classes that focus on teaching music,” he said. “I hope to come back home to Maui and continue teaching music.”

The scholarship awards are usually presented at the Pops season finale concert, but stormy weather prompted the cancellation of the show with Paula Fuga.

Since 2014, the orchestra has awarded $50,000 in scholarship funds to Maui youth. For more information about the scholarship program, visit mauipops.org/scholarships.html.