NASHVILLE, TN (CelebrityAccess) — Electronic music promoter Disco Donnie Presents (DDP) announced that Alexandra Maynard will be the first ever recipient of the Leon Jackson Memorial Scholarship.
Maynard, a junior violin major, will receive the scholarship which was created to aid students from underrepresented communities attending the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.
The scholarship, created in the name of the late music and event promoter Leon Jackson who helped to bring live electronic music to Nashville, was funded by a $100,000 charitable donation from Disco Donnie Presents.
Jackson, who died at the age of 47 in 2016, worked to promote electronic music in the Nashville region for more than two decades, starting in high school as a street team promoter later launching his own production company, Ultimo Events before partnering with DDP and Insomniac.
“In the five years since Leon left us, we’ve reflected on the positive mark he left in this world. He was a mentor to many, and helped provide opportunities to upcoming talent in the Nashville music scene. Leon knew the power of higher education and its ability to change lives, and he viewed the Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music as aspirational. But above all, he was an observer and listener. And he understood the importance of understanding diversity in life and its potential in business,” said DDP founder Donnie Estopinal.
The scholarship is one of two initiatives that comprise Disco U, a program started by DDP to help create a pathway for students to find a career in the music industry. The second initiative, DISCO U: Shadow to Spotlight, is a shadowing program that gives students practical experiences in various areas of festival productions, while opening doors to networking opportunities.
