Nolan Gibbons Memorial Fund Announces Nearly $20,000 in Scholarships

If you are a musician, a singer, a producer or otherwise musically inclined, there is a huge opportunity for you to land your share of nearly $20,000 in scholarships in memory of a SouthCoast boy.

Nolan Gibbons was a gifted young artist that our community lost in 2020 to what's called sudden unexplained death in childhood. Nolan was a rising sophomore at Old Rochester Regional High School and already a very successful musician. He began singing locally at age 9 with The Showstoppers, a community service and music troupe.

In 2018, Nolan was cast as the main vocal percussionist of Acapop! KIDS, a national all-kids a cappella group formed by the founders and members of the Grammy Award-winning group Pentatonix. The highlight of his Acapop! experience was an appearance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" in January 2020, and Nolan told us all about it during an appearance on the Fun 107 morning show.

A scholarship fund has been set up in Nolan's memory after a series of fundraisers.  This year, nearly $20,000 will be given to musically inclined young people.

• Music Mastermind is a three-month virtual artist development program worth $8,000
• Musical Theatre Mastermind is a three-month virtual artist development program worth $8,000
• General Arts Grant will cover anything a young artist could need including computer software, classes, instruments and travel. Several grants are available ranging from $100 to $1,000, depending upon requests and the number of applications.

“We know how much it takes to perform and make music," fund founder Sheila J. Gibbons said. "We are thrilled to offer these scholarships in his name, to help others who want to perform or produce music but may need some financial help to move forward.”