Scholarships & Awards

TDES SCHOLARSHIPS

Duke Ellington kept his orchestra on the road through thick and thin, through good times and the other times, travelling by bus, by boat, by private Pullman railroad cars and even in his least favorite mode of travel, in airplanes. He was always writing, listening or playing music. His music exemplified his love of all music. In the spirit of Duke Ellington’s musicianship and unrelenting commitment to writing and performing, TDES 40 funds the following scholarships and awards to support and encourage the next generation of musicians.

University of Toronto:  An endowment fund has been established, comprising:
$10,000 contributed by TDES 40, $10,000 from the Province of Ontario (Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Fund II) and $30,000 from the Waters Challenge Fund in Music (coming from William Waters, a U. of T. professor).  The income from the endowmnet fund is to provide, annually, two $1000 scholarships.

Humber College:  TDES 40 has established an endowment fund to provide money for one $1000 scholarship to Humber College. Our contribution to the endowment fund was generously matched by the Ontario Provincial Government

York University:  TDES 40 has established an endowment fund to provide money for one $1000 scholarship to York University to be awarded to students of their Jazz Program. Once again, our contribution to the endowment fund was generously matched by the Ontario Provincial Government.

The annual TDES 40 Annual Fundraising  Concert held every April in Toronto celebrates the music of Duke Ellington and has provided the primary source of revenue for the TDES 40 scholarships. We continue to look for opportunities to expand our contribution to Jazz Education and the appreciation of Duke Ellington’s music by sponsoring outreach events and programmes. Currently, our thrust is to increase awareness of the Toronto Duke Ellington Society and to increase our membership so that we can sustain our society. TDES 40 also welcomes contributions from interested people or parties to supporting the growth of our scholarship program.

In addition to the scholarships we provide we support, with donations the Toronto Jazz Festival in support of specific bands, The Etobicoke Jazz Festival, The Ken Page Memorial Trust and other bands and events that fit with our mandate.

We have in 2017 created The Duke Ellington Society award, Toronto Chapter, in Memory of Jeff Healey.  We wanted to find some way to remember and celebrate our friend Jeff Healey and believe that the creation of an award in Memory of Jeff Healey to a student of The Etobicoke School of the Arts going on to further studies in jazz was appropriate.  It is intended that this award be made annually, if a qualified student can be identified.

Also, in 2017, we purchased a piano bench for Montgomery’s Inn and paid for the tuning of the piano at the Inn which we use at our meetings.