Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music Student Receives Fulbright Award
By Angela Healy, CCFA Marketing/Communications Student Worker
Robert Apple, graduate assistant in the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music, is the newest recipient of the Fulbright Global Scholar Award, designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
“After so many years of hard work, I am finally going to Europe to do the research I have been wanting to do,” said Apple, who received a Master of Music from the University of Memphis and is currently a PhD candidate with a concentration in Music History.
A 2016 and 2017 applicant, Apple did not make it past the semi-final round both years. Careful not to get his hopes up, he persevered and applied one more time. Much to his amazement, Apple was informed that he was a finalist for the 2018 Fulbright award.
As part of the award, Apple will be traveling to Austria to conduct research on how widely the keyed trumpet was used in the early 1800s. The Fulbright award will fund his research and expenses for the nine months he is overseas.
Apple’s journey will begin September 2018 with orientation in Vienna. In October, he will partner with a professor of music history at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria. From there, he will visit Tyrol, Salzburg, Linz and St. Pölten to further his research before returning back to Graz to analyze his findings.
“Ultimately, the primary goal of my project is to help reclaim and preserve an unduly forgotten part of Austria’s cultural heritage and to help bring this cultural treasure back to life for the rest of the world to hear and enjoy,” said Apple.