BMI Foundation Presents Scholarships to New York City Students
L-R: Theodora Zavin Scholarship recipient Luca Castrogiovanni, Kavi Ohri Memorial Scholarship recipient Shania Evans, and Evelyn Buckstein Scholarship winner Dallana Santos.
New York, NY - June 18, 2025 - BMI Foundation, Inc. has announced the recipients of the Evelyn Buckstein Scholarship, Kavi Ohri Memorial Scholarship, and Theodora Zavin Scholarship are Dallana Santos, Shania Evans, and Luca Castrogiovanni, respectively. The scholarships were presented at a small ceremony at the BMI office in New York City on June 11th, attended by the awardees’ family and friends as well as members of the BMI Foundation Board of Trustees and representatives from the Foundation’s partner institutions.
“It is our honor to give awards to these promising young musicians,” shared BMI Foundation President Deirdre Chadwick. “Especially as we mourn the passing of our friend and former board member Evelyn Buckstein earlier this year, it is heartwarming to feel that we can honor her memory in this way.”
The 2025 Evelyn Buckstein Scholarship, established in 2007 by the late Evelyn Buckstein, BMI Assistant Vice President and Counsel and CCNY alumna, was awarded to Dallana Santos, a CCNY Popular Music and Sonic Arts student. Santos began her journey with music as a child in Jamaica, Queens, where she learned to play guitar through after school programs at her elementary school. Beyond her schoolwork, she also provides specialized assistance to individuals with autism, and one of her biggest goals is to teach music to children with special needs.
Bronx-based high school student Shania Evans was named the 2025 Kavi Ohri Memorial Scholarship winner through an essay contest open to New York City high school seniors with an interest in pursuing music or music business. Established in 2023 in memory of BMI Senior Director of Business Development and Account Relations Kavi Ohri, the scholarship honors students with talent in their field and who, like Ohri, show interest in mentoring those who come after them. Evans will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Music Industry at the University of Southern California, with an interest in music marketing and management to help artists promote their work and build lasting careers. Her long-term goal is to establish her own record label and leave a positive mark in the business.
Finally, the 2025 Theodora Zavin scholarship, given annually to a graduating senior at LaGuardia High School demonstrating excellence in composition, was awarded to Luca Castrogiovanni. First established in 2005 to honor the memory of Theodora Zavin, Founding President of the BMI Foundation and an esteemed senior executive at BMI for over five decades, this scholarship constitutes the 20th annual award supporting a young composer at the school. A multi-instrumentalist specializing in piano, Castrogiovanni has been writing since his freshman year at LaGuardia, and is active in several ensembles including the New Music Ensemble and Gospel Ensemble. He will be attending the Berklee College of Music in the fall, majoring in Media Scoring.
About the BMI Foundation, Inc.
The BMI Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to encourage the creation, performance, and study of American music. The Foundation’s programs include competitive scholarships for songwriters and composers, operating grants for nonprofit arts presenters, and support for innovative music education initiatives in schools and communities across the country. For more information about the work of the Foundation, please visit our website at www.bmifoundation.org. For exclusive news and content, follow @bmifoundation on Twitter and Instagram, and like BMI Foundation on Facebook.
