The Bill Verdier Irish Music Scholarship is a nonprofit organization founded in honor of the late Bill Verdier, an accomplished musician wholeheartedly devoted to Irish traditional music. The scholarship offers financial assistance to young musicians seeking to advance their skill in and understanding of Irish traditional music. When fully funded the scholarship will cover each year, in perpetuity, tuition, travel, and lodging for the student and for a parent if under age to attend a music school, festival, or workshop in North America or Ireland. Applications are evaluated on the basis of the value created for the individual or their community by their participation in the event.

To learn more about Bill Verdier (1958-2022) please visit our collection of photos, recordings, and tributes to Bill.

Awardees: Our 2024 Scholarship Awardee is Stella Bishop…..find out more!

Applications: We are currently accepting and reviewing applications for the 2025 season. Find out more and apply!

Support: Thanks to the contributions from many generous donors we have been able to provide grants in 2023 and 2024 to exceptionally gifted young musicians from the U.S. to attend major traditional music events. We are looking for additional support to build an endowment that will continue this into the future. If you would like to help fund this scholarship to honor Bill and support the Irish music tradition in the U.S., please visit our donations page, or contact billverdierscholarship@gmail.com for more information. The Bill Verdier Irish Music Scholarship (EIN: 88-4076757) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, all contributions to the scholarship are tax-deductible.