Area musicians awarded grants

Jun. 11—The Southeastern Indiana Musicians Association recently announced the winners of its 2022 SEIMA Project.

The SEIMA Project is a music grant initiative created by the organization in an effort to subsidize and promote the next generation of musicians in each of the five counties SEIMA represents — Dearborn, Ripley, Franklin, Ohio and Switzerland — for young musicians ages 14 to 19 years old.

Officially launched in November 2021, the SEIMA Project started with each applicant submitting a video audition of themselves performing a musical selection of their choice they felt showcased their musical strengths.

The association received a broad spectrum of applicants with performances ranging from classical instruments including piano, cello and violin, as well as a theatrical vocalist, an accordion, and performances on bass, electric and acoustic guitars.

The video submissions were considered in determining the five finalists who then were scheduled for a live audition and interview in front of our SEIMA board members.

The live auditions took place May 10 at Adam's Art studio in Lawrenceburg where each performer and their parent(s) attended in scheduled timeslots.

Additionally, each of the five finalists were required to submit a one-page essay outlining the significance of music in their lives and how they would benefit or utilize the prize money if they were chosen by our board as the grand prize winners.

The 2022 SEIMA Project $1,000 grand prize winners are Rachel Holt (Milan) and London Scholle (Bright). The remaining finalists — Earl Wilhelm, Drake Mitchell and Mialani Delly Jones — were also each awarded with a $350 prize.

Upcoming events for the Southeastern Indiana Musicians Association include Whiskey City Summer Fest in Lawrenceburg August 20 and the Southeastern Indiana Musicians Hall of Fame award ceremony at the Gibson Theater in Batesville November 5, where the SEIMA Project winners will be showcased and perform live for attendees.

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