Junior Mendelssohn Choir Of Pittsburgh Presents Barbara Cass Award To Mollie Landman

Every year, the Junior Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh presents the Barbara Cass Award to an outstanding member of the choir selected by their fellow members. This year's award winner is Mollie Landman, a senior at Yough High School.

The Junior Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (JMCP) is the only program of its kind in the region and one of the country's few vocal training programs for youth managed by a symphonic choir. Founded in 1986 to serve singers too old to perform with children's choirs and too young to perform with adult choruses, JMCP enables talented students in grades nine through 12 to train with accomplished professional singers and music educators.

This is the fourth and final year of singing in JMCP for Landman, who previously sang with the Children's Festival Chorus of Pittsburgh, now known as the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus, for five years. Landman also participates in marching band, jazz band, chamber choir, musical theater, and Pennsylvania Music Educations Association (PMEA) choral festivals. In addition to music-related activities, she is active in various ministry teams around the region. She expressed gratitude to her peers in the choir for selecting her for the Barbara Cass Award and for making her final season so memorable.

The Barbara Cass Award, which includes a cash prize and a trophy, recognizes a member of JMCP who exemplifies outstanding knowledge, zeal and commitment to the singing ensemble. "We believe that knowledgeable and dedicated members are the heart of any ensemble and deserve recognition," says JMCP music director Caron Daley.
The award was established in honor of the work of JMCP founder Barbara Cass. Made possible through the generosity of the late C. Hax McCullough, a former emeritus member of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh Board of Directors, the award is supported through a dedicated fund at the Pittsburgh Foundation. In addition to Landman, the finalists for the 2018 Barbara Cass Award were Beck G. Matway, of Taylor Allerdice High School; Cam Sillman, of Bethel Park High School; and Lindsay Turek, of Peters Township High School.