Brevard Alumna Dona Vaughn Creates Vocal Scholarship

Since graduating with a vocal degree from Brevard College, Vaughn has gone on to achieve a highly successful career as an actress, singer, educator, director, and producer in New York City. Among her many accolades on the stage are numerous roles on Broadway (“Company,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Seesaw”), many directing credits (including the first production of Tennessee Williams’ “Red Battery Sign”) and countless other international credits working on plays, musicals, and operas.Vaughn is the Artistic Director of Opera at Manhattan School of Music and of PORTopera, a summer festival in Portland, Maine. She is a member of Brevard College’s Board of Trustees, a board member of Opera America and of the Carolina-based Jensen Foundation.

“I received a music scholarship to attend Brevard College, and it changed my life,” Vaughn said. “It began the trajectory of my career.”

She considers Brevard College the springboard to her subsequent international career and now wants to give back to the school that afforded her these opportunities.

“I hope this scholarship helps provide the recipient not only with a sense of encouragement, pride, and empowerment, but also with an incentive to give back one day,” she said.

The Dona D. Vaughn Endowed Music Scholarship will provide assistance to an ethnic minority student majoring in music at Brevard College.

Vaughn was the first member of her family to attend college, and she wants to help those who need assistance in pursuing a career in music just as she did.

“I have created this scholarship because, in all my years of teaching, I often have wished that more minority members were encouraged to pursue a music profession,” Vaughn said.