CLEARWATER,

The 2005 Ruth Eckerd Hall Youth Scholarships in the Performing Arts have been decided and the recipients will be honored by artists in their respective genres during individual ceremonies following concerts at Ruth Eckerd Hall from March 17 through April 23. 94 applicants from Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Polk and Manatee counties vied for the $2500 cash prizes that are awarded annually to talented high school juniors and seniors who excel in music, dance and drama.

Billy Norris, a 17-year-old bass player at Seminole High School, received the inaugural Clearwater Jazz Holiday & Ruth Eckerd Hall Jazz Youth Scholarship. Legendary guitarist Pat Metheny presented Norris with the award following his St. Patrick's Day performance.

On March 18, 17-year-old Erin Reddy received the Vocal Performance Scholarship from renowned crooner Paul Anka following his Ruth Eckerd Hall concert. Reddy, a senior at Lakeland's Harrison School for the Arts, has been studying voice both privately and with her peers for six years.

Gifted violinist Tiffany Lu will accept her instrumental performance scholarship from the Juilliard String Quartet March 22. Lu, an 11th grader at Hillsborough High School, was introduced to the violin by her mother at the age of three and has been playing ever since.

Dancer April Johnson will receive her scholarship from a member of the Russian National Ballet Theatre when the troupe performs Giselle at Ruth Eckerd Hall on April 8. A senior at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School, 17-year-old Johnson has been dancing since the second-grade and training formally for the last six years.

Chanel Thomas, a senior at Pinellas County Center for the Arts, will accept her musical theater scholarship from Frankie Avalon following his performance in Grease at Ruth Eckerd Hall on April 23.

All five recipients intend to use their scholarships to pursue additional training in their respective fields of study.

Since its inception in 1983, Ruth Eckerd Hall has presented the finest quality programming in all disciplines of the performing arts. Ruth Eckerd Hall's education program, the largest of its kind in the state of Florida, has touched more than 1.5 million people with a commitment to life-long learning through the arts. Ruth Eckerd Hall is located at 1111 McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater, FL, 33759. For more information, please call 727-791-7060 or visit rutheckerdhall.com.

###