Charlotte Shields-Rossi | staff writer

Carolina Roy began her music career in 5th grade. She started by playing the violin, but when her music teacher asked for volunteers to play the cello, Roy stepped up.

“I decided I wanted to give cello a go. My parents were not too happy because they just bought me a violin, but it was the best decision I ever made, cello definitely stuck,” Roy said.

She is now a senior music education major at Duquesne, and was the recipient of last year’s History of Music Scholarship presented by the university’s Women’s Advisory Board.

The organization strives to assist other students like Roy.

On Saturday, Duquesne’s Women Advisory Board will host “A Night in Portugal,” a wine tasting event that will raise money for a student enrolled in the Mary Pappert School of Music.

For more than 40 years, the Women Advisory Board and Mary Pappert School of Music have been collaborating together to grant a scholarship to one talented member of Duquense’s music school.

On Oct. 5, 1953, a group of women joined together and created the Women’s Advisory Board. Sharing a value for education provided by Duquesne University, the organization began to raise funds for various on-campus activities and events. They have a goal of supporting intellectual and spiritual growth within the university’s community. Today the organization raises funds to provide university students with scholarships.

The sold-out fundraising event will be hosted in Duquesne’s ballroom and sponsored by Parkhurst. The tablecloths and centerpieces will be fitted to match the “Night in Portugal” theme. There will be a table filled with various raffle baskets for attendees to bid on. Professor John Sawicki will be present at the wine tasting. He is a knowledgeable wine expert, according to David Wehr, dean of the music school.

Mary McIntyre retired from her role as assistant to the president at Duquesne in 2016. Since then, she became a member of the Women’s Advisory Board. This year, McIntyre is the chair of the wine-tasting committee.

She said that it makes her feel good helping others, specifically those within the music school.

“Music is so important, what’s a world without music?” McIntyre said.

Theresa Tatrai worked at Duquesne for 40 years before her retirement in 2014. She is now the Women’s Advisory Board president.

Tatrai said the events started as black tie dinner and dances. As time went on, it was adapted into a business casual wine tasting event. During COVID-19 they had to change the fundraiser to accommodate quarantine restrictions by hosting a virtual wine tasting. Although the events have looked different throughout the years, the goal hasn’t changed.

“Supporting student scholarships is what it’s all about,” Tatrai said.

Although the fundraiser takes place in November, the winner of the scholarship is decided in March. The top students from various music fields are chosen to perform a 10-minute audition in front of three professional judges. The judges then deliberate and decide the winner of the scholarship the same day.

This past spring, for her audition, Roy performed a piece called “Kol Nidrei” composed by Max Bruch. This is a piece she claims has a special place in her heart because she spent a lot of time talking to her late grandfather about the song.

Along with winning the scholarship, Roy will have the chance to perform at this year’s event. She plans on showcasing a classical piece along with a “Pirates of the Caribbean” song. She understands why playing at this event is so important.

“The idea behind it is to raise money for the scholarship for this year by showing the donors what they are investing in,” Roy said.

Wehr is one of the audience members during the audition process.

He said that this opportunity gives students a chance to shine and show off their talent.

“I hear these students when they come in as freshmen, so hearing them in their sixth semester, it really gives me a chance to see how much they’ve grown. That makes me happy and proud that as a music school we are assisting the students to be the very best performers they can be,” Wehr said. “It rewards excellence.”