Burncoat High School Graduate Wins First Dr. Gerald R. Mack Scholarship
First $500 Scholarship Awarded in Fall 2011. Winner, David Dyson, to attend University of Massachusetts and major in music.
David Dyson, Graduate of Burncoat High School
The Dr. Gerald R. Mack Scholarship was established in 2010 by The Worcester Chorus in honor of the esteemed Conductor of the Worcester Chorus for 28 years. The $500 annual scholarship is restricted to a qualified graduate of the Worcester Public Schools who is going on to college and majoring in music. The Mack Scholarship is funded by the chorus and the very first winner is David Dyson of Worcester, a Burncoat High School graduate attending the University of Massachusetts starting in 2011.
Dr. Gerald R. Mack was also Director of Choral Activities at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT, gaining a national reputation in the field of choral music and often served as a guest conductor, lecturer, and clinician. Dr. Mack conducted choruses at Carnegie Hall, Tully Hall, and many renowned concert halls in Europe. His appearances also included the Mostly Mozart Festival in NYC, the Salzburg and Dubrovnik International Music Festivals, and other performances throughout western Europe and Russia. He was the founder and choral director of the Great Waters Festival in Wolfeboro, NH, where he directed for 15 years until his retirement in 2009. Honoring Dr. Mack with this scholarship not only recognizes his contribution to the choral arts, but is also a concrete and visible manifestation of his long commitment to the continuance of the arts for future generations.
