Lifted by Community, Inspired by Opportunity: How Music Talent Scholarship shapes the journey of two young musicians at USM’s Osher School of Music

Each year, the Osher School of Music hosts its annual Scholarship Gala, an evening that brings together community members, alums, and supporters to recognize the work of its student musicians and generate support for Music Talent Scholarships. This year’s Gala theme is The Four Seasons, with musical selections from Valli to Vivaldi, setting the tone for the performances and atmosphere of the night.

More than a themed celebration, the Gala highlights the experiences of the students who fill the Crewe Center for the Arts every day – learning, growing, and discovering what’s possible when they have the space and support to pursue sometimes uncharted paths.

Soleil Huang-Dale, a sophomore trombonist and music education major, grew up in Fryeburg in a family where music was simply a part of everyday life. Although she started playing the violin, it was jazz that captured her imagination. When she joined her middle school jazz ensemble, something clicked. Improvisation, ensemble playing, and the energy of the room helped her see a future in teaching and performance. At USM, she began to understand what it meant to grow within a community of musicians.

“I entered the jazz ensemble, and I was the weakest player in the ensemble,” said Huang-Dale “I had never been the weakest before.”

But she said this unfamiliar challenge became a turning point. Surrounded by peers who made her better, she realized just how much growth was possible. In fact, she thrived in it. The ensemble gave her a place to listen, learn, and become stronger through the support of others. That experience shaped her early identity as a musician.

With scholarship support, Huang-Dale has been able to fully embrace the School of Music experience.

“Not having to work all the time to pay for school has allowed me more time to devote to the things I’m really passionate about,” she said. “Being able to be in five ensembles at once would not be possible if I had to work more. I feel really fortunate that I get to be busy with things that I love to do.”

That time allows her to explore different genres, learn new instruments, arrange big band charts, mentor younger players, and gain the teaching experience she hopes to bring into her own future classroom. Many moments have guided her along the way, but one professor’s mentorship stands out.

“One of my favorite hours of the week is my lesson with Dr. Oberholtzer because everything he says makes so much sense, not only for playing the trombone but for how to balance my life as a musician,” said Huang-Dale.

Dex Tremblay, a junior from Limerick, began his time at USM with a different plan in mind. He came to the Osher School of Music to study euphonium and music education. For a long time, he admired composition from a distance, but that took an unexpected turn in his first year when he experimented with writing a small brass quintet.

“I realized that I like writing music a lot,” said Tremblay. “I was able to piece everything together in ways even I didn’t know I was capable of.”

That discovery opened a new door . Composition became a way for him to express himself and connect with others. Tremblay soon applied to the program by writing an entire symphony in only a few days. Today, he performs in multiple ensembles, studies composition seriously, and recently premiered a solo piano work at the Crewe Center for the Arts, an experience that affirmed how far he has come.

For Tremblay, scholarship support provides the freedom to follow these emerging interests.

“I can take chances. I do not have to roll the dice with my class choices,” he said. “It really helps me in the future with all these random things I get to do that I normally wouldn’t. It is liberating. It is not tying my dreams down with four years of debt.”

That freedom has led him to explore large-scale creative projects, including a new collaboration with choreographer Gerald Shannon, in which he’s composing a ballet inspired by Swan Lake.

Both Tremblay and Huang-Dale say the community within the Osher School of Music has shaped their growth, pointing to  supportive peers, accessible faculty, challenging ensembles and a culture that encourages curiosity. And the new Crewe Center, they say, makes  possibility feel tangible –  from practice rooms filled with light, to performance spaces that amplify the work of young musicians as they discover their voices.

The upcoming Scholarship Gala shines a light on the support behind stories like these, and so many others. The Gala celebrates students’  hard work, but more importantly, it reflects the environment that helps them thrive. Their journeys show the impact of a school where students learn who they are, explore what they can create, and begin to imagine how far their music can take them.