2024-25 Salisbury Scholarship winners named

Two graduate students from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., Charles French (left)  and Augustine Sobeng, have received 2024-25 Salisbury Scholarships worth $10,000 and designated for studies in organ performance, choral conducting, or musicology. French, a native of Britain, is a master's student, and Sobeng, a native of Ghana, is a doctoral candidate in organ performance and literature.

The $10,000 scholarships for a master's and doctoral student in the areas of organ performance, choral conducting, or musicology, are made possible through the generosity of Dave Kopp and Ronnie Stout-Kopp. They were inspired by the rich tradition of sacred music at the Salisbury Cathedral in England: “It is our hope that we can encourage and enable gifted organists, choral leaders, and musicologists to pursue their passion for sacred music, and to relieve some of the financial pressure associated with graduate degree work. We also hope to establish a legacy of excellence in sacred music through advanced degrees at both the master’s and doctoral levels.”

Charles Francis is a British-born organist who is earning increasing recognition as a young performer. Charles currently resides in the U.S. where he studies in the studio of Professor Nathan Laube at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. In addition, Charles is Assistant Organist at Third Presbyterian Church, Rochester, as well as Organist for the acclaimed Christ Church Schola Cantorum. Charles completed his undergraduate studies at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (U.K.) where he studied with Daniel Moult, Nicholas Wearne, and received frequent coaching with Professor Martin Schmeding. A Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, he has held organist positions at both churches and cathedrals in the U.K., and his playing has been broadcast on national radio. Charles’ playing has earned him various accolades including First Prizes in both the IAO/RCO Organ Playing Competition (Edinburgh, 2022) and the Dame Gillian Weir Messiaen Competition (Birmingham, 2019). Charles has performed in the U.S., Germany, and the U.K., where recent recital venues include Westminster Abbey, St John’s Smith Square, London, and a solo recital as part of the St Alban’s International Organ Festival.

Augustine Sobeng is a native of Shama, in the western region of Ghana. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Technology in 2014 from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. He studied for his Masters in Organ Performance under a VPA Fellowship award, in the studio of Dr. Annie Laver at Syracuse University between 2019 and 2021. Augustine is currently pursuing his Doctoral program in Organ Performance and Literature, in the studio of Nathan Laube, at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. He is the organ scholar at St. Paul’s Episcopal church, Rochester. In May 2021, he won first prize in the solo instrumental work category of the Setnor Outstanding Artists Competition at Syracuse University. Augustine was named to The Diapason’s 2021 class of 20 under 30. In 2024, he was awarded the James B. Cochran Award for outstanding DMA recital.

Applications for 2025-26 Salisbury Scholarships will open on March 15.