Department of Music Prizes

*note: if you have questions about Department of Music prizes, please email email musicadvising@berkeley.edu (undergraduate prizes) or musicgradadvisor@berkeley.edu (graduate prizes)

The Musical Theater Prize – Apply by April 29, 2024
This prize is awarded annually to support an original student-written, produced, and performed piece of musical theater (or opera) to be performed in the Department of Music at the end of each Spring semester.

The Alfred Hertz Memorial Traveling Scholarship – APPLY HERE BY APRIL 1, 2024
The Alfred Hertz Memorial Traveling Scholarship is awarded to persons who have manifested unusual talent in music and who show a bona fide intention to devote their lives to music.  It was the donor’s intention to enable recipients to study either in the United States or elsewhere, and he hoped, through the scholarships, to help “find and develop true genius in the art of music.” The amount of the stipend and the number of scholarships awarded each year depends on the overall quality of a given year’s applicants and the qualifications and needs of the individual recipient. Anyone who has ever been affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley is eligible to apply, including current and former students.

The Nicola de Lorenzo Prize in Composition – APPLY HERE
A first and second prize is awarded annually to qualified students who submit the best-completed musical compositions.

The Nicholas C. Christofilos, Jr. Memorial Prize in Music – NOMINATE HERE
The prize is awarded annually to a graduate student in music who combines qualities of outstanding intellectual accomplishment with concern and support for his or her fellow students.

George Ladd Prix de Paris
The prize is awarded every year to a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley in recognition of the highest excellence in music composition. The prize enables the recipient to study and compose music for one year in Paris, France.

Eisner Prizes in the Creative Arts
Prizes are awarded annually to undergraduates or graduates for creative achievement in the following fields: English, drama, music, the visual arts, and environmental design. The prizes in music are awarded for outstanding achievement in instrumental or vocal performance or in musical composition.

Albert I. Elkus Memorial Prize
The prize is awarded annually to four or five outstanding students in Music 27: Introduction to Music, a lecture course, which enrolls approximately 400 non-music majors each semester.

The David and Diana Menn Memorial Prize in the Performing Arts
Two prizes are awarded annually for outstanding creative talent in the performing arts. One recipient is selected from the students enrolled in the Department of Dramatic Art and the other from the Department of Music.

The Matthew William Fisher Memorial Award in Music (Departmental Citation)
The prize is awarded annually to a graduating senior for all-around excellence and distinction in Music. The prize is publicly acknowledged each spring at commencement. A brief letter is sent to the prize recipient that explains why this award is given in honor of Matthew Fisher.

Mary Nunes Souza Music Awards – Apply by April 29, 2024
Awards are granted on a competitive basis for special projects designed to supplement the student’s musical training.

Bernece B. Lyon Memorial Prize – Apply by April 29, 2024
Awards are granted on a competitive basis for students who propose a worthy project in music performance.

Austin F. Williams Prize in Piano Performance
Awards are granted in recognition of strong achievement in piano performance.

Joan C. Reutinger Prize
An award is granted in recognition of an outstanding freshman pianist.

Timelines