Margriet Tindemans Early Strings Scholarship

Honoring Margriet Tindemans

The Margriet Tindemans Early Strings Scholarship was established by Early Music America in 2018 to honor the life and work of the late Margriet Tindemans (1951-2014), a master of early stringed instruments and a shining figure in the field of early music. The biennial Scholarship provides support for specialized, advanced study outside North America that focuses on some aspect of Medieval, Renaissance, or Baroque bowed stringed instruments. The award will cover up to $25,000 in qualifying expenses.

The Scholarship will be awarded to the applicant whose proposal best demonstrates a balance of originality, versatility, depth and breadth of study, and personal dedication. These elements must also be evident in the applicant’s previous endeavors. Applicants must demonstrate a high degree of musical accomplishment in order to be considered.

To make a donation to the Tindemans Early Strings Scholarship Fund, visit our Named Scholarship Funds donation page and designate the Tindemans fund in the appropriate field.

2024-2025 Recipient: Zachary Earle

It is with great pleasure that we announce Zachary Earle as the recipient of the 2025 Margriet Tindemans Early Strings Scholarship.

Zachary Earle is a cellist whose musical journey began at age ten, when he was captivated by the cello’s warmth and size in his elementary school’s music room. Under the mentorship of Will Preece of the Grand Rapids Symphony, he developed a deep interest in both contemporary and baroque cello technique, blending historically informed performance with modern expression. Zachary is a recent graduate of Western Michigan University, where he earned his Bachelor of Music in cello performance under Bruce Uchimura. While at Western, he was awarded the Rhea Yeager Fetzer Scholarship, named the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s Artist Scholar for the 2022–2023 season, and won the 2024 Western Michigan University Concerto Competition.

Zachary has participated in the Amherst Early Music Festival, Chamber Music Collective, Smithsonian Haydn Quartet Academy, and the Smithsonian Academy Orchestra—experiences that have been formative in his growth as a historical performer. Key mentors in his early music training include Isaiah Chapman, Cullen O’Neil, and Keiran Campbell. Alongside his performance work, Zachary teaches over twenty students in the Kalamazoo area through Kalamazoo Kids In Tune, Crescendo Music Academy, and his private studio. In fall 2025, he will begin a master’s degree in historical cello at the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying with Professor Jonathan Manson.

Being awarded Early Music America’s Margriet Tindemans Early Strings Scholarship is an immense honor, one that I do not take lightly as I head overseas to continue my studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England. This award will not only contribute to my education at the Academy, but will also provide me with the resources necessary to create a multimedia database for string musicians of all stages to access. This database will serve as an educational resource for young musicians with big aspirations and to expose them to an alternative way of learning their instrument free of societal barriers. I am incredibly grateful to Early Music America for granting me this scholarship and look forward to helping the next generation of artists, from early music specialists to contemporary musicians alike—continuing the legacy of Margriet Tindemans. – Zachary Earle

Previous Recipients:

2023-2024: Alyssa Campbell
2021-2022: Tavya McCoy
2019-2020: Alexander Baker

Questions may be sent to EMA at tindemans@earlymusicamerica.org.

The 2025 application is now closed. The application for 2027 will be available in Fall 2026.

  • Completed online application forms must be submitted by Friday, March 7, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET. All applicants must apply online.
  • Two Letters of Recommendation must be submitted in support of your application by Friday, March 14, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET.
    • Letters should be sent directly to EMA at tindemans@earlymusicamerica.org.
    • Letters should be in the body of the email, NOT sent as an attachment.
    • Applicants are solely responsible for ensuring letters of recommendation are received.
  • A single scholarship award of up to $25,000 will be made to the successful applicant, payable by expense receipt or proof of requirement to pay.
  • The award announcement will be made by the end of April 2025.
  • Applicants should have graduated with a bachelor’s or master’s degree or be due to graduate in the spring of 2025.
  • The Scholarship is intended for students who are at the beginning of their career as a performer and/or scholar. The Scholarship may not be used as support for those exclusively pursuing a soloist’s career.
  • Applicants must demonstrate a high level of musical accomplishment.
  • Students who are already engaged in a course of study outside North America and are seeking funding for continuation of their project may apply. These applicants must explain their status and how their proposed accomplishments will mesh with the terms of the Scholarship. However, priority will be given to applicants who have not yet studied outside of North America.
  • The Scholarship may be applied in one of two ways:
    • To offset the expenses of enrolling in a course of study at a university, conservatory, or similar institution outside of North America. Applicants must submit documentation demonstrating the institution’s ability to support the applicant’s specific area of study, as well as a letter of acceptance from the institution or a relevant faculty member.
    • To pursue an original proposal not necessarily connected to an institution. Any such proposal must be described in as much detail as possible; this may include advanced study of one or more languages and relevant historical culture. However, the primary subject of such a proposal must be related to Medieval, Renaissance, or Baroque bowed stringed instruments (including but not limited to performance, performance practice, repertory, historical context, organology, or a combination of these things).
    • Applicants do not need to have already been accepted into a program. A clear plan as to how applicants envisage their scholarship year is all that is required.
  • Applicants must be permanently based in North America. This includes the 23 countries formally comprising North America, including Canada, the USA, Mexico and other countries of Central America which make up the southern-most part of North America. 
  • Early Music America membership is required of all applicants. (Historical performance students qualify for a one-year complimentary student membership. Please contact info@earlymusicamerica.org for more information.)

Covered Expenses

  • Tuition and fees for a one-year course of study
  • Language and cultural study programs, if applicable
  • Living expenses
  • Project-related travel expenses, including the cost of a single round-trip transportation between North America and Europe.
  • Reasonable miscellaneous expenses (to be detailed in applicant’s proposed budget)

Expenses not covered

  • Purchase, repair, or insurance of instruments
  • Personal medical expenses incurred abroad
  • Visas and residence permits, if required
  • Completed application form
  • Personal statement, not to exceed 1,000 words
  • Applicants must submit with their proposal a detailed budget for the year abroad. Submission of a carefully prepared budget will be an important consideration in the selection process.
  • Resume 
  • Online video with three contrasting samples of your musicianship, not to exceed 15 minutes total in length. The judges’ main consideration is to clearly hear the work of the candidate in order to be able to judge applicant’s sound, musicality, and understanding of language and creative ideas.
  • Two letters of recommendation from teachers or other professionals familiar with your qualifications for this Scholarship.
  • An acceptance letter from the institution in which you the applicant will study or an acceptance letter from a teacher the applicant will study with.
  • EMA requests that its scholarship recipients:
    • Include “Recipient of Early Music America Margriet Tindemans Scholarship for Early Strings” in your bio for the next year;
    • Provide EMA with regular email updates (at least every two months) from the start of your project to the conclusion.
    • Provide EMA with a written report within the month following your project, relaying how the scholarship had an impact on your early music education, and accompanied by photos and videos of your performances.
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