Juilliard and FENDI Announce the Recipients of the Inaugural FENDI Vanguard Awards
Four students—one dancer, one actor, and two musicians—have been selected from Juilliard to receive this honor.by Alexa Criscitiello
Juilliard and FENDI have partnered to launch the Fendi Vanguard Awards, which will be presented to four exceptional Juilliard students who are poised to be innovators in their chosen discipline and across the performing arts. Four students-one dancer, one actor, and two musicians-have been selected from Juilliard to receive this honor. Each of them embodies the promise of a career in the vanguard.
The Vanguard Awards continues Juilliard's relationship with FENDI, an international fashion brand known for its longtime support of artists and its commitment to craft. That relationship began in December 2020 with the creation of an episode in the unique streaming series-Fendi Renaissance-Anima Mundi. The filming for the project was the first time the students had performed together since March 2020, when New York City shut down due to the pandemic. The video, which was released on January 12, 2021, featured an ensemble of six Juilliard Jazz students rehearsing an original score, Rollerblading in Harlem, composed and arranged by master's student Aaron Matson, which was commissioned by FENDI for the series. At that time, FENDI also made a significant contribution to Juilliard's Scholarship Fund in the spirit of supporting creativity at every level and enabling young student-artists to realize their highest aspirations.