Berklee College of Music Awards Robert Barnett Kaplan Scholarship To Marshfield Resident Chrissi Poland '02

Marshfield resident Chrissi Poland '02 is the recipient of the first award from the newly created Robert Barnett Kaplan Endowed Scholarship Fund.

A Gift From One Marshfield Resident To Another BOSTON, Dec. 8, 2000 - Berklee College of Music is pleased to announce that vocalist and Performance major, Chrissi Poland '02 is the recipient of the first annual Robert Barnett Kaplan Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship fund was established by the estate of Mr. Robert Barnett Kaplan to "provide support to an outstanding new or continuing student from Marshfield, Massachusetts who is a U.S. citizen, demonstrates musical talent, and seeks to further his/her music composition education at Berklee College of Music." Poland, who is working with Marshfield's Ventress Memorial Library to put together a concert in memory of Robert Kaplan, is touched by the generosity of this gift and says, "When I have established myself, I only hope I can do something like this for someone else." Poland is in her fifth semester at Berklee, studying vocal performance and working on her original compositions and arrangements. She hopes to find continued success after graduation. "I want to continue to write and arrange my own music," says Poland, adding, "I encourage anyone and everyone who is passionate to put in the work. You owe it to the world if you've got that passion. Music really chooses you." Robert Barnett Kaplan, a composer, pianist and piano teacher, died in 1995 with no children and no immediate family. Marshfield Selectmen Chairman William Frances says that Kaplan "cared fully about the town [of Marshfield]." In his trust, Kaplan established additional gifts to the town including a fund to create an original town anthem with lyrics, as well as funds for the Ventress Library to produce an annual concert. Kaplan's obvious love of music will benefit many students who wish to enroll at or return to Berklee College of Music. "Coming here is the best thing I could have ever done," says Poland. "I can't believe how much I have learned from both the faculty and the students, and I have so much more I want to learn."