Venetian Harmony’s 2007 Scholarship Recipient

Ellen S. O’Connell, a recent graduate of North Port High School, was awarded one thousand dollars by Venetian Harmony Chorus.  Ellen received the scholarship based on her interests, talents and her potential for success in her chosen field of vocal music.  She has an outstanding record of academic and musical performance, including community involvement and a wide variety of  instrumental and vocal music, and theater.

Ellen has been accepted into the School of Music at the University of South Florida, where she plans to graduate with a double major in music education and vocal performance.  She hopes to teach, and also hopes to direct her own opera company.

She credits her desire to teach music to the youth outreach program of Venetian Harmony Chorus.  During sectionals, singing the parts over and over, she says that she discovered that , “When my section got it right, it made me smile.  It made me feel like I had shared something with them that cannot be shared through ordinary words or phrases.  We had shared music.”