WESTFIELD — The Musical Club of Westfield will hold its annual Scholarship Benefit Concert “Celebrating our Scholars” on Sunday, June 1, at 3 p.m., at The Presbyterian Church in Westfield (140 Mountain Avenue). The program will feature rising and graduating college senior scholarship recipients.
Michael Dews, recipient of the George and Virginia Toenes Memorial Scholarship, is a 2021 graduate of Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark. He will graduate from Pennsylvania State University in 2025 with a major in Clarinet Performance. He performs regularly with the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Philharmonic Orchestra, and Penn State Blue Light Blue Band. He plans to continue at Penn State to pursue his master’s degree in clarinet performance with Dr. Anthony Costa. Michael will perform the Sonatina for Clarinet Solo Opus 27 by Miklós Rózsa.
Anand Nair is a 2022 graduate of Westfield High School and Dean’s List senior music composition major at Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts. Anand will perform his original works for piano.
Kayla Louison, a 2022 graduate of Westfield High School, is the recipient of the Caroline Holt Memorial Scholarship. She will graduate in 2026 from Pennsylvania State University with a major in Musical Theater and a minor in African American Studies. She has played Bernarda (Bernarda Alba), Sonya (Great Comet), Hedy LaRue (How to Succeed), and Emilia (Emilia). Professionally, she has played Ronette (Little Shop of Horrors) at New London Barn Playhouse in New London, New Hampshire, and this summer will play Janelle Woods (Beautiful)at Totem Pole Playhouse in Pennsylvania. She will sing “One Fine Day” from Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, “Easy as Life” from Aida, and “Misty” by Erroll Garner. Helen Ryba will accompany on piano.
Ariadne Mahadeo, recipient of the Louise Andrews Memorial Scholarship, is a 2022 graduate of Cranford High School, and will graduate from the Berklee College of Music in 2026 with a degree in Vocal Performance. She has performed at the Berklee Performance Center, the Loft, Masspike Detour, and other Boston venues. She will perform her recently released single, “Lost at Sea.”
Deivy Mejia, recipient of the Mary Jean Coffelt Memorial Scholarship, earned his bachelor’s degree in music education from The College of New Jersey in 2025. He won the 2023 TCNJ Concerto Competition, performing the Glazunov Concerto in E-flat with the TCNJ Wind Ensemble. He is a teaching fellow at the Eastern Wind Symphony Youth Band and the South Shore Conservatory Summer Music Festival. He is a content creator on forthelostcreative.com. Deivy will perform the Rhapsody for Alto Saxophone by André Waignein. Sungryung Kim will accompany him on piano.
Robbie Strauss, recipient of the Rachel Hylan Memorial Scholarship, will perform the Partita in a minor by J.S. Bach. Robbie is a 2025 graduate of the University of Delaware with a Bachelor’s in Flute Performance and Music Composition. There he studied with Eileen Grycky on flute and Yoshiaki Onishi, Rachael Smith and Jennifer Barker for composition. In 2023 he won the UD Concerto Competition, performing Griffes’ Poem for Flute and Orchestra with the UD Wind Ensemble.
Ben Zakharenko graduated from Westfield High School in 2021 and is a 2025 graduate of the Berklee College of Music with a major in Electronic Production and Design and Games and Interactive Media Scoring. He recently collaborated with another Berklee student on the 2026 Boston FIFA Sonic ID. Ben will perform an original work on EDI (Electronic Digital Instrument).
The Musical Club of Westfield is a 501c3 dedicated to promoting highquality musical performances for the community since 1915. The June 1 Scholarship Benefit Concert is made possible in part by a HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) grant from the Union County Board of County Commissioners. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the door. For more information, visit http:// westfieldnj.com/mcw/.
