Our 2025 Scholarship Winners!
Sofia Marmud (Soprano) Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, Sofia’s vocal experiences include solos at Saint John the Divine in New York, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and Carnegie Hall. As a member of the Bob Cole Chamber Choir, she performed as a soprano soloist in Angels in the Architecture with the BCCM Wind Symphonic Band, traveled with the University Choir to Hawaii, and worked with Opera Italia LLC in productions of Pinocchio and Il campanello di notte. Sofia won first place in her first competition with NATS and first prize in the Palos Verdes/South Bay Chapter of the Mu Phi Epsilon Scholarship Competition. She will compete in Ireland this summer with the BCCM Chamber Choir in the Choir of the World Competition at the Eisteddfod, as well as the solo competition for the Pendine International Voice of the Future. After graduation she plans to attend graduate school and continue her career in music.
Cole Moore (Tenor) is a singer, saxophonist, pianist, and composer who loves a challenge and performs a variety of styles including baroque, jazz, and classical. Recent works include jazz tunes, an organ toccata, and an arrangement of “The Java Jive” by The Ink Spots which he performed at a recent El Camino combined choir concert. Cole has performed as a soloist and composer at several venues across the South Bay and Orange county and is preparing for a very special opportunity to study this summer with La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy where he will be performing as Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi, the chorus of L’elisir d’amore, and in their opera scenes concert. He will be attending UC Irvine in the Fall.
Madee Raymundo (Soprano) Currently a student at California State University Long Beach, Madee’s journey in vocal development started when she joined her high school choir and continued over the years with various church and community choral groups. These experiences shaped her passion for improving her musicality and vocal skills and led to her decision to pursue a career in vocal performance and teaching. As a voice student studying opera, her educational and career goals focus on gathering performance experience while continuing to develop performance skills, gain technical knowledge, and establish meaningful connections with people in her chosen profession.
Jeremy Sarmiento (Baritone) Music has been Jeremy’s heartbeat since high school, where his inspirational choir teacher ignited his passion and realization of music’s power to connect and leading him to pursue a music education degree at California State University Dominguez Hills. Under instruction at CSUDH, he honed his voice, rebuilding his technique from the ground up, learning breath support and resonance which led to a confident and supported baritone sound. As Mu Phi Epsilon president for the Gamma Sigma Chapter, Jeremy served his department, advocating for department issues while learning to delegate and lead. He has also had significant musical experiences like conducting the University Chorus’ performance of Mark Burrows’ These Things Shall Never Die, His aspiration is to teach music in middle or high school, directing choirs that spark joy and connection, as his teachers did, creating classrooms where students shape notes into stories, finding courage through song.