Like most renowned musicians, UCF\u2019s Ayako Yonetani has been defined by her artistry. However, it is her gift for teaching that led a local benefactor to establish a scholarship in her name.<\/p>\n
Judy Duda, chair of the Dean\u2019s Executive Council for UCF\u2019s College of Arts and Humanities and (CAH) a local arts patron, endowed the fund as a way to encourage others to support UCF\u2019s music program.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy intent was to support the University\u2019s comprehensive campaign, but I am also passionate about music and attracting talented young musicians. This was a way to serve both needs,\u201d Duda said.<\/p>\n
Duda met Yonetani 20 years ago. Yonetani had come to UCF from the Julliard School of Music and Duda was coordinator for the Concert Series at St. Luke\u2019s Lutheran Church in Slavia.<\/p>\n
UCF did not have a concert hall and St. Luke\u2019s, less than 10 miles away, offered an acoustically appropriate setting for UCF Orchestra performances. Yonetani and her students participated in these performances and Duda grew to admire the violinist\u2019s dedication to her prot\u00e9g\u00e9s.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought UCF had a treasure in Ayako and I wanted to do what I could to help her build the string section,\u201d Duda said.<\/p>\n
Duda, who over the years developed a personal friendship with Yonetani, decided to do something to help.<\/p>\n
She contacted the UCF Foundation and the Dean of the College of Arts & Humanities and contributed the funds necessary to establish the Ayako Yonetani Music Endowed Scholarship for violin and viola students.<\/p>\n
Yonetani learned of the scholarship following her performance for Music Department presentation at a CAH Dean\u2019s Executive Council meeting. As she was packing her violin after the performance, Dean Jos\u00e9 Fern\u00e1ndez made the surprise announcement.<\/p>\n
Yonetani said although the endowment was unexpected she is excited about the prospect of attracting more donors to help bring more of the most talented students to UCF.<\/p>\n
To contribute or for more information contact Laura Pooser at Laura.Pooser@ucf.edu \u2013 407-823-1195.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Like most renowned musicians, UCF\u2019s Ayako Yonetani has been defined by her artistry. However, it is her gift for teaching that led a local benefactor to establish a scholarship in her name. Judy Duda, chair of the Dean\u2019s Executive Council for UCF\u2019s College of Arts and Humanities and (CAH) a local arts patron, endowed the fund as a way to…","protected":false},"author":151,"featured_media":46228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-twocol.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[399,17023,14915,3537,4163,202],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-46197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colleges","category-community","tag-ayako-yonetani","tag-college-of-arts-and-humanities","tag-music","tag-orchestra","tag-scholarships","tag-alumni"],"yoast_head":"\n