WEST JORDAN, UT--(Marketwired - Dec 15, 2014) - Emmy-award-winning and Grammy-nominated composer and performer, Kurt Bestor, and Mountain America Credit Union officially announced the winners for the second annual Kurt Bestor High School Choir Scholarship Contest. Pleasant Grove High School was awarded first place and received a $1,000 scholarship. Springville High School (second place), Orem High School (third place) and Syracuse High School (fourth place) each received $500.
Sterling Nielsen, President/CEO of Mountain America, presented the scholarships to the winning choirs during a check presentation ceremony at Mountain America headquarters.
"Kurt Bestor is an amazing performer, and we are proud to partner with him to help support our local schools," said Nielsen. "We were impressed by the high caliber of entries received and the talent shown by these choir students. The hours they spent rehearsing and preparing are apparent. It is our hope that these choir scholarships will provide additional resources, such as sheet music or uniforms, to help these choirs continue to excel."
Wasatch Front high school music/choir departments, from Ogden to Provo, along with Summit and Wasatch Counties, were invited to submit a musical selection, of any genre, on Bestor's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/KurtBestor) in November. The general public was invited to watch submitted videos and vote for their favorite choir. Bestor and a panel of music experts listened to the choirs for tuning, blend, performance and overall musicality. This accounted for 70 percent of a choir's score, and the online votes accounted for 30 percent. Scores were based on musical performance.
In addition to receiving the $1,000 scholarship, Pleasant Grove High School choir will perform on stage with Kurt Bestor and his guest artists for the closing piece of "A Kurt Bestor Christmas" on Saturday, Dec. 20, in Abravanel Hall. Kurt Bestor's 27th annual Christmas Concert, taking place at Abravanel Hall Dec. 18 - 20, will feature nationally-known One Voice Children's Choir.
About Mountain America Credit Union
Mountain America Credit Union has more than $4.1 billion in assets and serves more than 495,000 members, wherever they are, through online and mobile banking, 82 branches in five states, and provides access to more than 30,000 ATMs and 5,000 shared-branching locations nationwide. With roots dating back to the 1930s, Mountain America offers a variety of financial products and services for consumers and businesses, including savings accounts, auto loans, checking accounts, mortgage loans, business checking, student loans, SBA loans and retirement options. Visit www.macu.com for more information.
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Media Contact:
Rachel Langlois
(801) 325-6174
