Marie Powers Memorial Scholarship in Theatre

Scholarship Information

Dr. Johann Norstedt, retired Virginia Tech professor and Radford University investor created this scholarship in memory of Marie Powers. Marie Powers was born in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania in 1902. She was an American operatic contralto known for her superb dramatic skills. She studied language and music at Cornell University. She then studied at the Royal Conservatory in Florence and was chosen by Arturo Toscanini to sing Wagner operas at La Scala in Milan. She was considered “a great actress, an exceptional singer, a voice with many dimensions and dramatic brilliance.” She was best known for her performance as Madame Flore in Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium, a role she played on stage screen and television. Johann wrote of her “I know of her because she went to high school in Mount Carmel with my mother!”

Scholarship Criteria

• Eligible students must be pursuing a major in theatre.
• The scholarship may be renewable annually though reapplication.