Holly Sundquist Memorial Scholarship

The Holly Sundquist Memorial Music $2,500 Scholarship

The Holly Sundquist Memorial Scholarship seeks to celebrate the life of Holly Sundquist, and to continue her legacy by empowering young performers to pursue their dreams in the performing arts.

Holly’s Story

On December 9, 2022, our community and our festival lost a sweet, vibrant, and deeply loved young musician and friend. Holly Sundquist was a gifted vocalist who contributed to the Sherwood Park Music Festival for many years through duets, ensembles, and solos. She shared her music generously across the community performing for seniors, at the Festival of Trees (now Winterfest), Ravenwood Festival, Canada Day festivities, and in a variety of local coffee houses. Holly was an outgoing, caring soul and artist whose enthusiasm uplifted everyone around her. She encouraged younger performers, many of whom continue to share stories of her kindness and mentorship in the years since her passing.

In honor of Holly’s legacy, the Sundquist family has established a $2,500 scholarship to support and inspire young musicians as they pursue their artistic goals, both within our community and beyond. We invite young performers to apply and carry forward the joyful spirit, dedication, and generosity that Holly brought to every stage she touched. It is our hope that her legacy continues to live on in the hearts and lives of young musicians for years to come.

Overview:

1. Performers’ repertoire from this class, is ineligible for all other scholarships.
2. Performers ARE eligible for other festival awards if they also enter as a regular festival participant.
3. The winner may/may not be chosen to perform at the Grand Concert and Awards Ceremony.
4. A maximum of 5 applicants will be selected to compete.
5. The winners are Adjudicator chosen by a panel representing each participating discipline.

Eligibility:

1. Entrant, or parent, primary address must be in the County of Strathcona.
2. Must be between the ages of 15 – 22, as of December 31, of the preceding year.
3. Previous winners of this scholarship are ineligible.

Definitions:

*amateur – A person whose principal means of livelihood is not obtained from the performance of music in the particular discipline in which he or she is competing. This stipulation does not, however, preclude such a person having occasionally received remuneration for dance presentations, even in the area in which he or she is competing.

Class Regulations:

1. Competitors are responsible for knowing the Class rules. These rules are different from the standard Festival rules. All rules are found in the syllabus. www.spmf.org
2. Competitors perform in one discipline only. (*Vocal and Musical Theatre are different disciplines*)
3. Each competitor is allowed a maximum performance time of 25-minutes.
4. IF selected, the class fee is $100.00.

Application:

1. COMPLETE the APPLICATION FORM.
2. VIDEO a 1-2 minute audition.
3. E-MAIL the completed application form to: festivaldirector@spmf.org
4. UPLOAD audition video to Google drive (will be provided after application is received)
5. DO NOT submit payment with the application. Selected candidates’ class fee is submitted when registering online with The Sherwood Park Music Festival.

The completed application must be received by Friday, January 30, 2026.

NO LATE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED

Successful candidates will be notified by email, with registration instructions, no later than Friday, February 13 , 2026.