Fellowship allows horn player to do his best

Chris DuPré

Bernhard Scully has most of the concerns of any graduate music student.

In his final semester of working toward a master’s degree in music, the horn player juggles classes, rehearsals, recitals and performances with the UW–Madison Symphony Orchestra and other school ensembles. He also has four private students and plays in the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

One thing he doesn’t have to worry about is finances. He’s among the eight outstanding musicians who so far have been awarded the Paul J. Collins Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship, which covers full tuition and pays a stipend.

“It has allowed me to live comfortably,” Scully says. “It’s a fabulous thing. You can concentrate more; you don’t have to go through quite the hustle and bustle. It’s still school; you’re working hard, but it’s great to have that security.”

The fellowships were established with a $4 million gift from Paul J. Collins, a 1958 business graduate, to honor his mother, Adele Stoppenbach Collins, who graduated from the School of Music in 1929.

Scully recently returned from a trip to Florida to perform in a trio for Collins and his wife, Carol Hoffmann Collins. “He’s an extremely nice, generous man, and his wife, too, is very wonderful,” Scully says.

When Scully decided to apply to the UW, he met with horn professor Douglas Hill. At first Hill didn’t mention the fellowship.

“I think they purposely weren’t telling a lot of students about it because they wanted to attract people who first really wanted to come to the university,” Scully says.

Last summer, Scully married his wife, Sarah, a music therapist and graduate of UW-Eau Claire, and now he is looking forward to the next chapter in his life.

“I have a couple of big orchestra auditions coming up,” he says, and he’s eyeing solo international competitions. His work with the Madison Symphony should allow him to stay in Madison, should he so choose.

“I’m so grateful to have been a Collins fellow,” Scully says. “I hope to keep playing at a high level, wherever the future may take me.”