Recipient of the 2021 Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund
Bethany is a scholarship student in the Juilliard School and the Perlman Music Program and studies cello with Joel Krosnick and Astrid Schween. Bethany Grace Bobbs made her piano solo orchestral debut at the age of 8 and her cello solo orchestral debut at the age of 9, performing with the Cleveland Institute of Music Chamber Orchestra. She has won the opportunity to solo with the Missouri Symphony Orchestra, Ocala Symphony, Ambler Symphony, Yonkers Symphony, Delaware Symphony, New Jersey Intergenerational Symphony, Old York Road Symphony, Nova Sinfonietta, Summit Symphony, Georgia Philharmonic Symphony, The Fort Bend Symphony, Brazosport Symphony, The Houston Symphony of the North, The Houston Youth Symphony, and The Sewanee Music Festival Orchestra. In 2014, Bethany won 3rd place in the prestigious Houston Symphony League Concerto Competition as the youngest competitor and in 2016, 1st place in the National Federation of Music Teachers Association Stillman Kelly NFMC Award as well as the Mary Alice Cox Cello Award.
As a winner in the prestigious Young Arts program, Bethany had the honor to attend their New York regional program in 2019. In 2020, Bethany won 1st place in the Vernell Gregg National Young Artist competition and the Ocala National Young Artist competition, as well as placed in the New York Chamber Symphony, Riverside Symphony Caprio, and the Lynn Harrel competitions. Recently, she was awarded the Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund, Friday Morning Scholarship Award, Menges Scholarship of the Arts Award, Michael R Edwards NFMC Graduating Senior Award, Suburban Music Study Scholarship, and won first place in LISMA International Senior String Competition, Adelphi Orchestra Young Artist Competition, and Arts in the Vineyard Competition.
Besides performing, Bethany enjoys helping others. Last year, Bethany and her twin sister, Susanna, put on a Harmony for Healing virtual fundraising concert to provide funds for the Artist Relief project that financially aids unemployed artists during the Covid epidemic. In 2015-2017, Bethany was awarded the Doing Good Music Scholarship for her charitable concerts performing for cancer clinics, preschools, and retirement homes. Bethany teaches young pianists and cellists, tutors young orchestral players and performs for the Christian Care Center, a senior citizen residency.
Bethany has attended prestigious summer music festivals including Aspen Music Festival, Sewanee Music Festival, Conservatory Music in the Mountains, Indiana String Academy, Cleveland Institute of Music Summer Sonata Festival, and the Interlochen Arts Academy, Advanced Junior String Program. Since 2017 she has attended the Perlman Music Program (PMP) where she studied with Astrid Schween, Clara Kim, Paul Katz, Ronald Leonard and Zvi Plesser, traveling to Sarasota, Florida and Israel.
An avid chamber performer, Bethany’s Houston chamber group won the elite Houston Young Artist Award. Her chamber group at the Aspen Music Festival, through audition, was chosen to perform in their Spotlight Recital. Bethany has performed in masterclasses with Joshua Roman, Steve Doane, Clive Greemsmith, Natasha Brofsky, Yeesun Kim, Richard Aaron, Richard Weiss, Desmond Hoebig, Stephen Balderson, and Brinton Smith. Bethany has a twin sister, is the 7th of 8 children, and was home schooled.