Students encouraged to apply for performing arts scholarship

The Alliance for the Arts, the official fundraising arm of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, has scheduled the second annual Richard Carpenter Scholarship Competition for Sat., May 10 at the Civic Arts Plaza at 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. in Thousand Oaks.

The contest is open to middle school, high school and college students throughout Ventura and Los Angeles counties. The categories are dance, vocal and instrumental.

Firstplace winners in each category will receive $5,000 each. Second- and third-place winners will be awarded $2,500 and $1,500 respectively.

The application deadline is 5 p.m. Fri., April 4.

Applications are online at www.allianceforthearts.org. All entries must include a DVD or VHS of the student's performance.

Three finalists in each category will compete on stage in the Fred Kavli Theatre at the arts center on May 10. At the end of the competition, Richard Carpenter will perform a 30-minute concert along with his daughters, Traci and Mindi. Tickets for this performance are on sale at the Civic Arts Plaza box office and Ticketmaster.

Carpenter is widely recognized for the music that he and his sister, Karen Carpenter, made famous in the 1970s. Richard Carpenter and his wife, Mary, are residents of Thousand Oaks and recently provided a $3million gift to the alliance to name the park in front of the Civic Arts Plaza the "Mary and Richard Carpenter Plaza Park." A gift of $1 million was endowed to create the scholarship program.

For more information about the scholarship program, call Ed Lewis, vice president of development, at (805) 449-2582.