
Stella Rosa Named 2023 Jimmy Lyons Scholarship Recipient The 18-year-old trumpeter will perform at this year's Monterey Jazz Festival with Noa Zebley, who received the scholarship last year.
By
Colette Greenstein
September 12, 2023
Stella Rosa
Stella Rosa, an 18-year-old trumpeter from Agoura Hills, California, has been named the 26th recipient of Berklees Jimmy Lyons Scholarship, a four-year, full-tuition award presented in conjunction with the Monterey Jazz Festival. Rosa, who began her studies in Boston this month, is planning to major in music production and engineering.
In addition to being awarded the scholarship, Rosa will perform at the 66th annual Monterey Jazz Festival, taking place September 22-24, with 2022 award recipient Noa Zebley and her band.
Previous recipients of the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship include Billy Buss B.M. '09 (Billy Hart), Rushad Eggleston '03 (Crooked Still), Milton Fletcher B.M. '03 (Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah), Jonathan Pinson B.M. '11 (Wayne Shorter), Dayna Stephens '01 (Kenny Barron), and James Williams '06 (Gary Burton).
Receiving the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship means I can focus on pursuing an education in music at my dream school without having to worry about how to pay for it, says Rosa. I am honored and excited to play at the Monterey Jazz Festival this year and represent Berklee. It's an example of the opportunities that you can receive while studying there, and I look forward to playing on the same stage as musicians that have inspired me over the years.
Rosa began her musical journey at the age of 6 when she was introduced to the guitar. In the sixth grade, she picked up the trumpet, and by the seventh grade, she had also started playing the alto saxophone. She hopes to be seen as a pioneer and role model for other women who have a passion for jazz and the music industry.
Skip to main content
Toolbar itemsRosa started guitar lessons at the age of six and began the trumpet in the sixth grade and alto saxophone in seventh. She sees herself as a pioneer and role model for other women who have a passion for the industry, and also feels that she will be an asset to jazz. Berklee is her hope for the future performer, composer and producer that she will become.
I am so pleased to celebrate the 28-year relationship with Monterey Jazz in the awarding of the prestigious Jimmy Lyons Scholarship, says Damien Bracken, dean of admissions at Berklee. It is particularly rewarding to have our 2022 award recipient, Noa Zebley, and her band welcome the 2023 winner, Stella Rosa, to the stage for what will surely be a very special performance. Both Noa and Stella represent some of the worlds leading emerging jazz talents and Berklee is proud to call them our students.
Noa Zebley
This year will be Zebley's third time performing at the internationally renowned festival. She participated in the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra in both 2021 and 2022, as well as the Next Generation Women in Jazz Combo in 2022.
I have been attending the Monterey Jazz Festival since 2017, and I got the opportunity to grow up watching some of the best musicians in the world play at this festival, says Zebley. The energy at the fairgrounds is magical, and everyone there is a true appreciator of music and jazz; the joy in the air is palpable.
Zebley, a third-semester performance major, will lead a quartet representing the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice on Friday, September 22, at 7:30 p.m. on the Garden Stage and Saturday, September 23, at 1:00 p.m. on the Courtyard Stage.
About the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship In 1996, Berklee, in association with the Monterey Jazz Festival, created the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship, in honor of the festival's founder. Started as a nonprofit in 1958, the Monterey Jazz Festival is the longest continuously running jazz festival in the world, and has presented nearly every major jazz artist over the last 60-plus years-from Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Dave Brubeck, Tony Bennett, and Miles Davis to contemporary masters Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall, Wynton Marsalis, Norah Jones, and esperanza spalding. As a nonprofit, the Monterey Jazz Festival is devoted to jazz education by presenting year-round local, regional, national, and international programs.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Goose guitarist and vocalist Rick Mitarotonda B.M. 16 performed with the band at a sold-out Portland, Maine, show on July 6, 2023.
Image by Adam Berta
Both Sides of Goose, Americas Premier Jam Band On a new Sounds of Berklee: Goose's live act attracts a devoted following-and the bands studio work highlights the sharp songs that spark their legendary jams.
Latest
Elena Pinderhughes
Image courtesy of the artist
Signature Series Presents the Elena Pinderhughes Berklee Septet Pinderhughes, an award-winning vocalist and flutist, will join Berklee students for a performance on October 11 at the Red Room at Cafe 939.
Stella Rosa Named 2023 Jimmy Lyons Scholarship Recipient The 18-year-old trumpeter will perform at this year's Monterey Jazz Festival with Noa Zebley, who received the scholarship last year.
Boston Conservatory at Berklee to Present Wind Ensemble: A Brass Celebration The free Center Stage concert is part of Boston Conservatorys Brass Festival Weekend.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
More from Berklee
09/11/2026
Berklee's Singers Showcase Celebrates Whitney Houston's Music and Her Go...
06/11/2026
Big Daddy Kane to Be Inducted Into Berklee's Hip-Hop Hall of Fame The Grammy-winning emcee joins an iconic roster of inductees in an event that features s...
04/11/2026
Berklee Celebrates Screen Scoring Talent at Annual BMI Day Emmy-nominated composer and alumnus Tony Morales returned to campus to work with students, while se...
03/11/2026
Berklee Artists Return for Performances at Bostons Snowport Holiday Market Presented through a partnership between Snowport, Mohegan Sun, and Berklee, the wee...
29/10/2026
Boston Conservatory Center Stage Presents Opera Masterpiece La Boh me The Conservatory's production of the timeless opera will conclude the fall Center St...
23/10/2026
Berklee Welcomes Marcus Gilmore for Signature Series Performance The two-time Grammy Award-winning drummer, composer, producer, and bandleader will also lead ...
23/10/2026
Season 30 of The Voice Features a Record Number of Berklee Alumni Learn more about Dakota Cohen, Brandon Diaz, Nina Howland, and Zalissa Stewart, plus how the...
20/10/2026
Boston Conservatory Center Stage Presents Romantic Musical Comedy She Loves Me Conservatory musical theater students will perform the charming production, set...
20/10/2026
Rachel McFarlanes American Dialogue Premieres at Carnegie Hall The alum composer and violinists commissioned work is part of Sphinx Virtuosis nationwide tour ...
17/10/2026
Danilo P rez Premieres New Work Honoring Architect Frank Gehry Commissioned by the Herbie Hancock Institute, P rez performed The Ever-Changing World at its In...
16/10/2026
Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble Presents America at 250 The free event, taking place at Samuel Adams Park at Faneuil Hall, features a program of inspiring A...
16/10/2026
Next Jazz Legacy Celebrates Five Years of Mentorship and Impact Across the Jazz ...
15/10/2026
Berklee Asia Rising Brings Asian and Asian American Music to Signature Series The November 3 concert spotlights student creators and a growing program connect...
07/10/2026
Behind the Scenes at Berklee Homecoming 2026 Follow Marley Striem BM '25 behind the scenes as she manages a team of students and liaises with artists duri...
07/10/2026
Berklee College of Music and Berklee Valencia Named to Billboards 2026 List of T...
06/10/2026
Boston Conservatory Artists Turn Chairs on The Voice Watch Lexi Stephens (BFA 25) and Marcus Ladden Jr. (BFA 30) wow the celebrity coaches during their blind au...
01/10/2026
Berklee and APM Music Launch Global Catalog Bringing Student-Created Music to Fi...
29/09/2026
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards A total of 30 Berklee alumni and faculty earned nominations across 21 categories this ye...
29/09/2026
Berklee's K-Pop & Beyond Explores Connections Between K-Pop and Hip-Hop Now in its fifth year, the series brings together artists, industry leaders, and s...
23/09/2026
Berklee Connect Unlocks the Power of a Global Network Katie Vitolins BM '04 knows firsthand what Berklee's alumni community can make possible. Now she...
22/09/2026
Berklee's First Homecoming Block Party Brings Alumni Home for Global Music F...
18/09/2026
Berklee Establishes Susan Tedeschi Scholarship in Honor of Grammy-Winning Alumna The scholarship is announced as Tedeschi returns to headline the Berklee Bloc...
15/09/2026
Six Berklee Alumni Win at 2026 Emmy Awards The recipients were recognized for their contributions to Widow's Bay, South Park, and Bad Bunny's Super Bo...
15/09/2026
Brandon Woody Joins Berklee Student Ensemble for Signature Series Concert The acclaimed trumpeter, composer, and bandleader will lead a Berklee student ensemb...
12/09/2026
Berklee Students Develop New Ideas for Live Entertainment and Travel in London This summer, a group of music business students collaborated with Heathrow, Bri...
10/09/2026
Three Boston Conservatory Dance Alums Honored for Their Early-Career Promise India Hobbs and Demetrius Lee received Princess Grace Awards, while Lilly David t...
10/09/2026
MonoNeon Returns to Berklee to Kick Off Signature Series The Grammy-winning bassist and alumnus performs with students and faculty from the Planet MicroJam In...
04/09/2026
Berklee Announces Winners of 2026 SongwritersdB Songwriting Contest Students Luca Alexandru, Annika Wild, and Johanna James received the top prizes for origin...
31/08/2026
Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Susan Tedeschi The Grammy-winning singer and guitarist talks about finding her voice at Berklee ahead of her Homecoming performan...
29/08/2026
Berklee Announces Fall 2026 Signature Series This years concerts feature MonoNeon, Brandon Woody, Marcus Gilmore, and Caroline Davis, alongside Berklee Asia R...
25/08/2026
Two Cultures. Millions Reached. One Berklee Connection. Meet Annie Dickinson and Zhengxi Zhang-the couple who turned their creative partnership into music car...
22/08/2026
Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Dogs in a Pile The rising jam band talks about where it all started on the Berklee campus ahead of their Homecoming performance o...
22/08/2026
Berklee Alumna Lexi Vollero MA '22 Receives Fulbright Award to Brazil Vollero, a Berklee NYC graduate, has been selected for a Fulbright Open Research Awa...
14/08/2026
Stacked with Boston Conservatory Talent, Shakespeare on the Common Celebrates It...
12/08/2026
Berklee Announces Full Details for Inaugural Block Party, a Music Festival Next ...
11/08/2026
Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Fabiola M ndez The first cuatrista to graduate from Berklee talks about the community that shaped her career ahead of her Homecom...
07/08/2026
Berklee City Music Presents Nine Scholarships and Awards at Annual Concert Student recipients from seven states and Canada received scholarships, housing awar...
04/08/2026
Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Dreion The singer, songwriter, and producer talks about finding his village at Berklee ahead of his Homecoming performance on Sep...
03/08/2026
How Agua Tinta's Class Project Launched Her Songwriting Career Two years after graduating from Berklee, the songwriter has a Latin Grammy nomination, a So...
29/07/2026
Isabeau Miller Named Chair of Berklee Songwriting Department The Berklee alumna, who previously served on the Songwriting faculty, will begin her new role on ...
28/07/2026
How Rick Aggeler Built a Music Community for Boston Teens As a Berklee student, Rick Aggeler helped create the first music clubhouse at the Boys & Girls Clubs...
25/07/2026
Time to Act: Bringing a New Opera to Life Boston Conservatory at Berklee vocal arts students played a vital role in shaping the opera's creative developme...
25/07/2026
Beyond the Score For Dean of Music Kevin Haden, the boundless possibilities of classical music begin with process.
July 24, 2026
By
Kevin Haden
Michelle ...
25/07/2026
Reading the Room As music director of two major orchestras, conductor Jonathon Heyward aims to make the concert hall a space for everyone.
July 24, 2026
By
...
22/07/2026
From Class to Concert: Explore a Student-Led Production of David Bowies Work Thr...
11/07/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Awards Grants to Five Alumni, Supporting Work in ...
11/07/2026
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Recognized with 2026 Emmy Nominations The 26 nominees include Trey Parker (South Park) and seven-time Emmy winner Pablo Mungu a of ...
07/07/2026
Berklee Valencia Honors Eric Whitacre at the 2026 Commencement Ceremony The Grammy-winning composer was celebrated alongside this years cohort of masters degr...
07/07/2026
Berklee College of Music Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's...
06/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Medtech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might think...