Fred Hess Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Purpose:
The Fund is established to provide scholarships to students in the University’s Department of Music, in honor of Fred Hess, Ph.D., associate professor of theory and composition.
Hess dedicated 20 years to Metropolitan State University of Denver and spent many more years as a vital member of the broader musical community. Born in Pennsylvania, Hess grew up in New Jersey and attended Trenton State College before moving to Colorado in 1981. He earned a doctorate in music composition from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1991 and founded the Boulder Creative Music Ensemble in 1982. Hess was also the founding director of Denver’s Creative Music Works Orchestra and was a member of drummer Ginger Baker’s Denver Jazz Quintet as well as ensembles led by trumpeter and MSU Denver colleague Ron Miles. Most recently, he led the Fred Hess Quartet and performed with the Fred Hess/Marc Sabatella Duo.

Hess is remembered as a brilliant composer, an impactful teacher, and a creative performer, respected and admired by students, University colleagues, and fellow musicians. He twice received the Colorado Council on the Arts Composition Fellowship and captured first place in the inaugural Hennessey Jazz Search in Denver. In 2000, he received an award for Jazz
Composition awarded by the Jazz Composers Alliance.

Criteria:
• Be meeting the University’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements and cannot be in default or owe any refund/repayment of federal, state or institutional aid
• Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 2.0
• Have a declared music major with a concentration in Composition
• Be enrolled for a minimum of six (6) credit hours at the time of application and during the semester(s) the scholarship is received.
• Write a 250-word essay detailing your exceptional dedication to the study of music.