Cleveland Institute of Music Receives Jim Brickman / Audio‐Technica Scholarship

The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) was named the recipient of funds for a new scholarship by new age/adult-contemporary superstar Jim Brickman and Audio-Technica, a leading innovator in transducer technology.

Audio-Technica, the very company that supports CIM’s live radio broadcasts, officially kicked off its 50th Anniversary Year in the U.S. with a special gala event held January 19, during the Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. The all-star cast of event performers included Jim Brickman, CIM alumnus and longtime Audio-Technica user. In

commemoration of the event, Brickman decided to donate his performance honorarium to his alma mater, creating the Jim Brickman/Audio-Technica Scholarship. The funds will support select piano students at CIM.

“It is particularly gratifying that Jim has chosen the Cleveland Institute of Music as the beneficiary of this wonderful gift, since he is one of our own, having studied here with Marshall Griffith and Olga Radosavljevich. It was their teaching that helped transform Jim’s future life and, through this gift, CIM will be able to continue transforming lives,” said

Conservatory Dean Adrian Daly. “In consultation with the piano faculty, the scholarship will be awarded to a student who possesses the special qualities that helped Jim develop into to be the wonderful musician, artist and entertainer that he has become. We are also extremely grateful to Audio-Technica for their connections with Jim Brickman, and for

their ongoing support of our institutional mission of providing a world-class educational and transformative experience for our students, and for those with whom we interact.”

Greg Pinto, Audio-Technica U.S. Vice President of Marketing and Consumer Sales, stated, “It was thrilling to have Jim Brickman perform at our anniversary celebration in Anaheim marking 50 Years of Passionate Listening, and it is a special honor that he is donating these funds to music education, a cause that is very near to the hearts of the A-T

family. And the fact that the scholarship is at CIM is special too – right in our backyard here in Ohio.”

Brickman stated, “I want to express my thanks to Audio-Technica for the opportunity to create the Jim Brickman/Audio-Technica Scholarship at the Cleveland Institute of Music. CIM is the school where I found my sound. I think it's important to cultivate musicianship, and CIM teachers do just that. My hope is that through scholarship efforts like this one, it will open doors and further the music education of another aspiring pianist.”

This is the second time that Brickman has recognized CIM with funds for scholarship. Last year, he named CIM as the recipient of two one-year piano scholarships in his name, made possible through the John Q. Hammons Foundation The scholarships were awarded to International Tchaikovsky Competition winner Daniil Trifonov and Kang-Eun Cho, a graduate of Seoul National University.