Scholarships

ABE OLMAN SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS FOR 2008

Each year, under the auspices of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, five Abe Olman Scholarships for Excellence in Songwriting are awarded to promising young lyricists & composers.  These writers are selected by ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, SGA & SHOF on the basis of their participation in songwriter programs sponsored by these organizations.  Over $100,000 has been awarded over the past 20 years.  These awards are made possible by the family of the late Abe Olman, a major figure in the music publishing community and a co-founder in 1969 (with the late Johnny Mercer & Howard S. Richmond) of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  Award recipients are honored every June in a special ceremony that takes place the same week as our annual Awards Dinner. 

Shelly Bhushan - SHOF designee

She’s cool, with a frankness and roughness of a fiercely independent woman, quick with a self-deprecating joke, full of anecdotes…


Watt White - BMI designee

WATT WHITE brings both power and vulnerability to a sound only a pop soul with a metal heart could create.…


Reeve Carney - ASCAP designee

Reeve Carney is the lead singer and songwriter of the band Carney, accompanied by his incredibly talented brother Zane on…


Linda Kiraly - SESAC designee

Linda Kiraly is not your “Average New Artist.” In many respects, she’s not actually new — certainly not if “new”…


Galia Arad - SGA designee

Galia Arad is an overly emotional girl from Bloomington, Indiana.  Raised by two classical musicians, she grew up listening to…


2008
Shelly Bhushan (SHOF)
Watt White (BMI)
Reeve Carney (ASCAP)
Linda Kiraly (SESAC)
Galia Arad (SGA)

2007
Adam Falcon (SESAC)
Dan Ferrari (SHOF)
Jayms Madison (BMI)
Jodi Shaw (SGA)
Alice Smith (ASCAP)

2006
Susan Cagle (ASCAP)
Annie Dinerman (SGA)
Wes Hutchinson (BMI)
Summer Johnson (SESAC)
Cassandra Kubinski (SHOF)

2005
Laurel Barclay & Matt Katz-Bohen of Daddy (SESAC)
Loretta Collins (SGA)
Kiara Duran (NAPM)
Morley Kamen (ASCAP)
Sylvia Tosun (BMI)

2004
Bliss: Kiirsten Moore (BMI)
David Ippolito (SGA)
Michele Jaffe (SHOF)
Lori McKenna (ASCAP)
Sofia-Jay: Jay & Jennifer Lyons (SESAC)

2003
Janice FitzGerald (SHOF)
Karen Jacobsen (SESAC)
Michael McLeod (SGA)
Jeanine Smith (BMI)
Meleni Smith (ASCAP)

2002
Colin Brooks (SESAC)
Elizabeth Jordan (SHOF)
Lee Kweller (SGA)
Johnny Rodgers (ASCAP)
John Stephens (aka John Legend) (BMI)

2001
Sophia Ramos Dupre (SESAC)
Tabitha Fair (BMI)
Carrie FitzGibbon (SHOF)
James Glasco (ASCAP)
Stephen Goldfinger (SGA)

2000
Angela Ai (SHOF)
Jabe Beyer (SESAC)
Edie Carey (BMI)
James Day (ASCAP)
Nina Mankin (SGA)

1999
Mike Errico (SHOF)
Delilah Harris (SESAC)
Natasha Ming (BMI)
Jean Norris (ASCAP)
Stephen Rosenthal (SGA)

1998
Chris Alastair (ASCAP)
Chris Moore (BMI)
Ivy Markaity (SESAC)
Clare Cooper (SGA)
Sandy Fredrickseon (SHOF)

1997
Stephanie Cooke (ASCAP)
Amanda Green (SHOF)
Lauren Kinhan (SESAC)
Dan Siegler (BMI)
Richard Winter (SGA)

1996
Cara Beckenstein (SGA)
Tamara Feinman (SESAC)
Nicole Johnson (BMI)
Pilley (ASCAP)
Liz Queler (SHOF)

1995
Mike Blaxill (BMI)
Janie Coulter & Barry Wittenstein (SHOF)
Tina de Varon (ASCAP)
Caroline Horn (SGA)

1994
Jazmin Jackson (ASCAP)
Rebecca Martin (BMI)
Amy Powers & Stephanie Salzman (SHOF)
Alan Wolpert & Bill Pitzonka (SGA)

1993
Ilene Angel (SHOF)
Gregory Cohen & Matthew Lewis (BMI)
Mike Flynn (SGA)
Anika Peress (ASCAP)

1992
Mark Batson (BMI)
Lorraine Ferro & Stephanie Lewis (SHOF)
Darren Quinlan (ASCAP)
David Stewart (SGA)

1991
Nanette Maxine Brown (ASCAP)
Dee Ann Macomson (SGA)
Ellen O’Brien & Rich Campbell (SHOF)
Pantera Saint-Montaigne (BMI)

1990
Nancy Magarill & H. Sefus Henderson (ASCAP)
April Higuera (BMI)
Emil Trombino, Sal Trombino & Walter Zelinski (SHOF)
Thomas Kjellberg (SGA)