Sponsor a Student Intern for 2026

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Elijah Yocum is a fourth-year Undergraduate studying under Denise Tryon at Indiana University. Originally from Chesapeake, Virginia, performing as principal Horn in the Bay Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Virginia All-State Orchestra. A graduate of Great Bridge High School, he has also taught a middle school Horn camp and attended the Bayview Music Festival with members of his Brass Quintet at IU. At IU, he has performed serious repertoire with the Philharmonic, Concert, and Symphony Orchestras, even picking up Wagner Tuba for the premiere of Mason Bates’ Opera: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. With a vested interest in new music, he has also premiered several student compositions.

Donovan Palmer is a rising junior at Kingdom Education for Young Scholars in Chesapeake, Virginia, where he is a member of the Advanced Percussion Ensemble as well as the tenor captain for the award-winning KEYS Drumline. He also serves as the first chair percussionist for the acclaimed Bay Youth Symphony Orchestra and won first honorable mention at their annual Concerto Competition this year. This winter, he enjoyed playing with Symphonicity in two of their Voices of America season concerts. Besides his love for music, Donovan is also an honor student who performs in tap dance and acrobatics with the Academie de Ballet and enjoys the beach and sailing. His future goals include pursuing a degree in Percussion Performance and becoming a professional orchestral percussionist.

My name is Madison Ashworth, I just recently graduated from Hickory High School, and I attend Tidewater Community College! I plan to major in Environmental Science and work as much as I can towards that degree, then transfer to a 4-year college to double major with a second major in Music Performance. Long-term, I hope to work in Environmental Law and hopefully play in a community ensemble after I graduate. My home city is Chesapeake! 

 I am a rising eleventh grader attending Young Musicians of Virginia in VA beach. This year I will be dual enrolling in my community college. I plan to have an associates degree in science before I graduate. I am not certain of my future college or whether I want to major in music or in electrical engineering. However, I know I want to be a musician in the tidewater area. I have spent the majority of my life on the Perquimans River in North Carolina and enjoy skateboarding, running, swimming, reading, and of course playing music

Hey, I'm Jaylen Swafford, and I am from Virginia Beach, Virginia. I'm a saxophonist and junior music education student at James Madison University. After school, I'll pursue a middle or high school position and conduct private lessons. Also, I'll be preparing and practicing for military band auditions. 

Noah Goodman is a graduate of Frank W. Cox High School and his participated in all of the school’s ensembles including the wind ensemble, percussion ensemble, jazz ensemble, and the award-winning Cox Marching Falcons. Noah plans to attend James Madison University in the fall where he will pursue Music Education.

My name is Joaquin Garza, and I am a teacher and composer in Norfolk. I started my musical journey a little later than others, not seriously developing my musicianship or receiving music education until my mid-20s, but I have been very serious about my craft and have been working professionally as a musician for around 5 years now. In the summer of 2027. Still,s. , I will have graduated from Batten University with a bachelor's degree in composition and will start the next leg of my journey by pursuing my master's degree.

•   Karley Farrar  
•   Jonathan Rutter