Kevin Ngo is the recipient of the Keen Halleran Memorial Scholarship for 2013 presented by Campbell River Friends of Music.
The Keen Halleran Scholarship Fund was first established in May 2003, as the Halleran Scholarship by Frances Keen (1955-2006) in recognition of her high school band/choir and piano teachers, Noreen and Mickey Halleran of Quesnel, B.C. Unfortunately, Keen passed away before she could finish her project.
The project was completed and Keen’s name was added to the scholarship in recognition of her work as an elementary choir and band teacher, as a community choir director and advocate of music education and music in the community. The Scholarship Fund benefits a piano student who: n Has studied for a minimum of one year in School District 72 (Campbell River) n Is continuing to study piano at university n Has completed at least the first year of an undergraduate degree in music or is in a postgraduate degree program in music
n Is a full-time student
Ngo is studying in a Masters Program in Piano Performance at Texas Tech University.
A former Carihi graduate who studied under Keen, Kay Wilson and then Cindy Taylor, Ngo completed his ARCT Performers Diploma in 2006. Since then he has pursued his musical studies and performed as a soloist and collaborative pianist accompanying local school choirs and instrumentalists in addition to organizing and performing in local benefit concerts.
Ngo maintains a high academic standing and has earned top honours in piano performance competitions while studying.
Ngo embodies the principles of the Keen Halleran Scholarship by pursuing excellence in his performance studies and more importantly, by making music accessible and providing opportunities in the community for the enjoyment of musical performance.