Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Rianna Kopcho Named the 24th Jimmy Lyons Scholar to Berklee

30/09/2020

Rianna Kopcho, a guitarist from Omaha, Nebraska, has been named the 24th recipient of the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship, a four-year, full-tuition award presented in conjunction with the Monterey Jazz Festival. She is the first guitarist and the second woman to receive the award.

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 (Christian Scott), Jonathan Pinson B.M. '11 (Wayne Shorter), Dayna Stephens '01 (Kenny Barron), and James Williams '06 (Gary Burton).

My dream is to inspire and educate a new generation in the amazing powers of music by exploring its deeper meaning, said Kopcho. This scholarship will bring my vision into focus and grant me the opportunity to share my musical aspirations with the world.

Kopcho was introduced to the guitar at the age of 11 when her older sister taught her how to play Taylor Swift's You Belong with Me. After studying acoustic guitar and violin for several years, she learned electric guitar in 2016, going on to perform with School of Rock Oklahoma. Her love of guitar grew even more after discovering new genres through pit orchestra, show choir, and jazz band at her school.

In 2018, Kopcho performed with School of Rock at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Following this performance, she realized that she wanted to play live music and make it her life's work. Later that year, she began lessons with Zach Adkins, winner of the 2017 Ibanez Flying Fingers Guitar Competition; Adkins played a pivotal role in helping her create a unique musical identity. In 2019, Kopcho was selected as the only guitarist in the Nebraska All-State Jazz Band.

About the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship In 1996, Berklee College of Music, in association with the Monterey Jazz Festival, created the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship to Berklee, 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, Trombone Shorty, Norah Jones, Esperanza Spalding, and Terence Blanchard. As a nonprofit, the Monterey Jazz Festival is devoted to jazz education by presenting year-round local, regional, national, and international programs. The 63rd Monterey Jazz Festival was broadcast for free on the Monterey Jazz Festival YouTube Channel from September 25 to 27.

Related categories:

News

Related Reading

Nick Isherwood Named the 23rd Jimmy Lyons Scholar to Berklee Isherwood is the first bassist to receive the prestigious four-year, full-tuition scholarship.

Kris Davis and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice Quartet to Perform at Dizzy's Club NYC The critically acclaimed pianist will lead an ensemble of top players from the institute in a performance on Monday, November 11.

Four Berklee Guitarists Vie for Preeminent Jazz Prize Cecil Alexander, Fran ois Chanvallon, Lucian Gray, and Matt Sewell will compete at the 2019 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition in December.

More from Berklee Now

Most Popular

Berklee Partners with MIT to Help Students Get Paid for Their Music RAIDAR, a new licensing platform, makes it easier for student musicians to earn money from their songs and retain full control over their work.

Latest

Rianna Kopcho Named the 24th Jimmy Lyons Scholar to Berklee Kopcho is the first guitarist and second woman to receive the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship.

Berklee Announces 2020 Signature Series The virtual concert series features Terri Lyne Carrington and Danilo P rez, the Pharaoh of Salsa Oscar D'Le n, a celebration of James Bond theme songs, and more.

Lennon Stella Talks to Students About Journey from Nashville to Debut Album Lennon Stella appeared-virtually-at a Berklee Visiting Artist Series clinic, to speak and take students questions about her approach to her career and to music.

Read All

Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.

Berklee Blogs

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

Instagram

Snapchat

Soundcloud

Spotify
LINK: https://www.berklee.edu/news/berklee-now/rianna-kopcho-named-24th-jimm...
See more stories from berklee

North America Stories

27/03/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 9: Chicago Cubs' Chris Simonson - Flying the W at Wrigley Field

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

27/03/2026

Comcast Business Powers 2026 THE PLAYERS Championship Network and Broadcast Infrastructure

Comcast Business deployed network infrastructure for the 2026 PLAYERS Championsh...

27/03/2026

CS live Equips New OB Van With Riedel MediorNet, hi Control System, and Artist Intercom

Czech production company CS live has equipped its newest outside broadcast van w...

27/03/2026

Edith Cowan University Installs Lawo VSM, HOME, and mc36 in New Broadcast Facility

Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Western Australia has developed new broad...

27/03/2026

Deltatre Appoints Marc Watson as CEO; Andrea Marini Transitions to Deputy Chairman

Deltatre has announced that CEO Andrea Marini will step down after five years in...

27/03/2026

DAZN to Launch Inflight and Onboard Live Sports Service in 2027

DAZN has announced plans to launch DAZN Inflight, a live sports service for airline and maritime passengers, slated for 2027. Aviv Giladi, President of DAZN Par...

27/03/2026

Grass Valley and NVP Deploy Camera Systems for LALIGA Broadcast Production

Grass Valley has announced the completion of a live production deployment with NVP, a European media company specializing in live sports production, for LALIGA ...

27/03/2026

The Masters, Prime Video Will Debut Inside Amen Corner' Stat-Enhanced Viewing Experience

The Masters and Prime Video will debut Inside Amen Corner, a dedicated feed that...

27/03/2026

ESPN and World Series of Poker Reach Multi-Year Agreement

ESPN and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) have reached a multi-year agreement to bring the WSOP Main Event back to ESPN platforms. Coverage will include a three...

27/03/2026

USSI Global Opens Media Transport Solutions Lab Ahead of C-Band Transition

USSI Global has opened its Media Transport Solutions Lab on its Melbourne campus. The engineering center provides a platform-agnostic environment for testing al...

27/03/2026

UFL Names Sportable Official Connected Ball and Player Tracking Partner

The United Football League (UFL) has named Sportable its Official Connected Ball and Player Tracking Partner. Sportable's connected football and wearable pl...

27/03/2026

Atlanta Braves and Fubo Reach Multiyear Distribution Agreement for BravesVision

The Atlanta Braves and FuboTV have announced a multiyear distribution agreement to carry BravesVision on Fubo's live TV streaming platform beginning Opening...

27/03/2026

As UFL Structure Evolves, League Boosts Broadcast Infrastructure at New Home Stadiums

Besides restructuring for Season 3, the league worked with FOX and ESPN over the...

27/03/2026

Atlanta Braves and DIRECTV Reach Multiyear Distribution Agreement for BravesVision

The Atlanta Braves open their 2026 MLB season tonight against the Kansas City Ro...

27/03/2026

New Venues, New Tech: How FOX Sports, ESPN Are Reinventing Their UFL Broadcasts for Year 3

With new teams and new venues to adapt to, the spring-football league's part...

27/03/2026

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Grace Glowicki, the Filmmaker Behind Dead Lover

By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...

27/03/2026

FCC Opposes Emergency Motion to Stay Nexstar/Tegna Merger

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/03/2026

NAB Pans Netflix's Coverage of MLB Opening Day

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/03/2026

2026 NAB Show Exhibitor Insight: Netgear

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/03/2026

Marshall Electronics Showcases New Feature-Rich CV320 and CV520 IP and 3G-SDI POV Cameras at NAB 2026

Marshall Electronics Showcases New Feature-Rich CV320 and CV520 IP and 3G-SDI PO...

27/03/2026

Sony Electronics Inc. Elevates Professional Video Workflows with Powerful Updates to Monitor & Control and Catalyst Tools

Sony Electronics Inc. Elevates Professional Video Workflows with Powerful Update...

27/03/2026

GatesAir Extends AirWatch365 Managed Service with Edge Gateway Site Appliance

GatesAir Extends AirWatch365 Managed Service with Edge Gateway Site Appliance Brie Clayton March 27, 2026 0 Comments NAB marks global launch of servic...

27/03/2026

GatesAir Expands AirWatch365 Managed Service

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/03/2026

Dejero, Eutelsat, Others to Offer 'Field to Air' Demo at NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/03/2026

Global NextGen TV Takes Center Stage at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/03/2026

USSI Global Opens Media Transport Solutions Lab

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/03/2026

Net Insight Elevates Nimbra Edge to Govern Live Media Sys...

At NAB Show 2026, Net Insight will showcase the next evolution of Nimbra Edge, its orchestration and control layer designed to manage live media services across...

27/03/2026

Harmonic Delivers Winning Live Sports Streaming Innovatio...

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced powerful new innovations that further elevate the company's sports streaming solution. The advanced capabilities enh...

27/03/2026

Bitmovin s Player Web X Expands with Performance First Ad...

Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced significant new capabilities for Player Web X, its next-generation web video player...

27/03/2026

CS live Builds Future Ready OB Van With Riedel MediorNet...

Riedel Communications today announced that Czech-based production company CS live has equipped its newest outside broadcast (OB) van with an integrated Riedel i...

27/03/2026

MPTS 2026 Unveils First Wave of Speakers Featuring BBC Sk...

130 Industry Experts Confirmed as Show Celebrates its 10th Anniversary MPTS, the UK's largest and most influential event for the media, production and tech...

27/03/2026

Grass Valley and NVP Elevate LALIGA Broadcast Production...

Grass Valley today announced the successful completion of a major live production deployment with NVP, a leading European media company specializing in live spo...

27/03/2026

Appear Business Momentum Drives Leadership in Live Produc...

Showcases resilient solutions for satellite-to-IP migration, REMI and hybrid live production Appear ASA (Appear, OSE:APR), a global leader in live production t...

27/03/2026

Lightware MX2 delivers rock-solid 4K60 HDMI 10-bit signal...

San Francisco, California, March 2026 - Microsoft Ignite, a major annual conference hosted by Microsoft for developers, IT professionals, partners and business ...

27/03/2026

Clear-Coms EQUIP Wireless System Keeps Youth With A Missi...

Clear-Com is proud to highlight its support for worship teams through professional communication solutions, with the deployment of its EQUIP wireless system a...

27/03/2026

Orban Collaborates with Sage on Virtualized EAS Technology Demo

Orban Collaborates with Sage on Virtualized EAS Technology Demo Brie Clayton March 26, 2026 0 Comments Sage Alerting Systems (SAS), in cooperation wit...

27/03/2026

Berklee Alums Bring GIANT to Broadway

Berklee Alums Bring GIANT to Broadway Brian and Dayna Lee BM '13 met and fell in love at Berklee, and now their production companys first Broadway debut i...

26/03/2026

Audio-Technica and Extron Announce Microsoft Teams-Certified Enterprise Solutions

Extron and Audio-Technica have announced that their Design Solutions devices, Ce...

26/03/2026

SPORTEL Asia Returns to Singapore with 370 Participants from 35 Countries

SPORTEL Asia took place March 24-25 at the Orchard Hotel Singapore, drawing 370 participants representing more than 220 companies from 35 countries. Approximate...

26/03/2026

NAB 2026: LTN to Showcase Satellite-to-IP Migration Solutions

LTN will demonstrate satellite-to-IP migration solutions for broadcasters, cable networks, MVPDs, and station groups at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2100). The C-Ban...

26/03/2026

Seattle Mariners Upgrade Center Field Video Display at T-Mobile Park with Daktronics

The Seattle Mariners have partnered with Daktronics to install an upgraded outfi...

26/03/2026

Esports Nations Cup 2026 Names National Team Partners Across 100+ Countries

The Esports Foundation (EF) has awarded National Team Partner status to organizations and individuals across more than 100 countries and territories for the Esp...

26/03/2026

NAB 2026: Telestream Expands Vantage Integration with Adobe Premiere, Media Encoder, and Frame.io

Telestream has announced expanded integration between its Vantage workflow platf...

26/03/2026

NAB 2026: FOR-A Brings Nippon TV's viztrick AiDi AI Production Tool to Market with NVIDIA

FOR-A Corporation has announced a partnership with Nippon TV and NVIDIA to distr...

26/03/2026

CBS Sports Reaches New Long-Term Multiplatform Rights Agreement with the WNBA

CBS Sports and the WNBA have expanded their partnership through a new long-term, multiplatform rights agreement. CBS Sports will feature up to 20 regular-season...

26/03/2026

Zac Brown Band to Perform Sunday Night Baseball Open on NBC and Peacock

Zac Brown Band will star in the Sunday Night Baseball show open on NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports announced. The open was filmed at American Family Field, home of ...

26/03/2026

2026 MLB Season Opens With Full Slate of National Games

Major League Baseball opens the 2026 season with nationally televised games across multiple media partners. Fans can visit MLB.com/Watch for a complete schedule...

26/03/2026

DIRECTV Adds Nine MLB Team Channels for 2026 Season

DIRECTV has announced an agreement to carry nine new MLB-operated team channels, covering the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers (Detroit SportsNet), Kansas City R...