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George Wright Memorial Fellowship

The George Wright Memorial Fellowship (GWMF) is a program sponsored by the American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS) to pay for a young person to attend their first ATOS Annual Convention, ATOS Summer Youth Adventure, or ATOS Technical Experience. ATOS covers approved expenses and related travel costs of the recipient as outlined below. A maximum number of candidates shall be selected for the Fellowship depending on the interest and earnings accrued from the GWMF fund.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Applicants must be 15 (13 for SYA) to 27 years old (or currently enrolled at the university level studying organ) as of the deadline to submit the application and must not have ever attended a previous ATOS Annual Convention, Summer Youth Adventure, or Technical Experience. Applicants who will be under the age of 18 as of the date of the convention must be accompanied and supervised by a parent, legal guardian, or an adult specified by their parent or guardian. ATOS will not cover the expenses of the adult. However, the candidate and adult may share the hotel room paid for by ATOS. If the recipient is not an ATOS member, ATOS will pay membership dues for the recipient for one year, provided they have never previously had a membership in ATOS.

In order to apply for the Fellowship, the applicant must submit the following materials:
(1) A completed application form.
(2) A letter of recommendation by an adult other than a family member. This person may be a teacher, scout leader, church worker, employer, etc. The writer should discuss how they know the applicant, any information about their involvement and leadership in any group, the level of their involvement or enthusiasm in the theatre organ world, and how attending the chosen event will benefit the applicant. The recommendation letter should be signed, and the address and phone number and email of the writer should be included.
(3) Proof of age (driver’s license, student ID, passport, etc.)
(4) If the applicant will be under the age of 18 by the time of the chosen event, the parental permission form found in the application must also be completed, signed, and included.
(5) Any additional information that they feel should be considered.

All applications and supporting materials must be emailed no later than May 14, 2023.

The recipient is expected to attend the entire chosen event. At the Annual Convention, the recipient is expected to attend all major events including scheduled concerts, the ATOS Annual Membership Meeting, the Annual Members' Forum, and the banquet and/or awards presentation. The recipient will also assist ATOS in generating content for social media broadcast. Participation in overture and encore activities is optional and at the expense of the recipient.

After the close of the event, the recipient is expected to submit an article for the Theatre Organ Journal recalling their experience and expressing thanks for the award. The article must be submitted to the Youth Representative to the Board within a reasonable amount of time, to be determined by the time of the event, usually within a few weeks. Receipts for fees to be reimbursed are to be sent at the conclusion, designated by the time of the event. Reimbursement will be sent after all of the previously mentioned materials are received by the Youth Representative to the Board.

Expenses Covered by the Fellowship:

For the ATOS Summer Youth Adventure
and the ATOS Technical Experience

  • Tuition
  • Hotel costs for the nights the event is in session
  • Lowest economy round trip transportation from the applicant’s residence to and from the event

For the

ATOS Annual Convention

  • Registration fee
  • Hotel costs at convention rates for the nights the convention is in session
  • Lowest economy round-trip airfare or other transportation from the applicant's residence to and from the convention
  • Banquet admission

The fellowship does not cover expenses relating to convention overture and encore activities (if any), meals, personal or incidental expenses, expenses for an adult supervisor for recipients under the age 18, or any other expense not specified above.
Any registration/tuition fees and banquet fee (if attending the convention) will be paid directly by ATOS when the recipient is selected. Transportation and hotel expenses will be reimbursed by ATOS after the recipient has submitted the requested information.

See APPLICATION below

If you require additional information or if you have any questions, please contact Richie Gregory, Youth Representative, at r.gregory [at] atos.org

Past Recipients

  • 2023 - Andrew Moore
  • 2017 - 2022 None
  • 2016 - Jared Goldinger, Christopher J. Ha
  • 2015 - Richie Gregory
  • 2014 - None
  • 2013 - Peter Shilladay – Olathe, Kansas; Joshua Dill – Leesburg, Georgia
  • 2012 - None
  • 2011 - None
  • 2010 - Trevor Dodd – Battle Creek, Michigan
  • 2009 - Kat Brightwell - Seattle, Washington; Jonathan Gradin - Rathdrum, Idaho
  • 2008 - Glenn Taller - Homer Glen, Illinois
  • 2007 - Nathan Baker - Columbus, Ohio
  • 2006 - An emerging young artist
  • 2005 - Sam Moffatt - Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
  • 2004 - Jesse Kohl - Forest Grove, Oregon
  • 2003 - Jonathan Fox - Shreveport, Lousiana
  • 2002 - Zach Frame - Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

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