Friends of Brad Memorial Foundation announced Briona Currie of Eveleth-Gilbert High School and homeschool student Olivia Skaja of Deer River were named recipients of the annual scholarship competition for young musicians in rural Northeastern Minnesota. The young musicians were awarded $750 scholarships to attend college.
Currie has been dancing and singing since age 4. She played trumpet in her high school band and served as a music teacher at a bible school. She plans to attend American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City and hopes to perform on Broadway someday.
Skaja has been ranked among the top five fiddlers in Minnesota since age 15. She was the 2016 Minnesota State Old Time Fiddle Champion and took first place in the 2017 Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition. She plans to pursue a degree in violin performance at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn.
