JAZZ.FM91 is delighted to announce that Isabella Aquino is the 2026 recipient of the Peter Appleyard Scholarship.
This annual scholarship honours the legacy of vibraphonist Peter Appleyard and his incredible contribution to Canadian music by providing a current undergraduate jazz student with a scholarship for use toward their tuition. Eligible schools include Humber College, the University of Toronto, York University and Mohawk College.
Appleyard was a true giant of Canadian jazz whose commitment to music education and growing the talent of the next generation of Canadian jazz musicians endures to the present day.
Isabella is a student in the Jazz Percussion program at the University of Toronto, majoring in Jazz Drumming. She’s also a playwright, tap dancer and pit musician who holds a weekly jam session called Shed every Sunday night at the Tranzac.
I believe that as musicians, boxing ourselves into one lane is one of the worst things we can do,” Isabella says. “The ability to play in different contexts and with different people, to share and be generous with our music, is something that struck me as one of the defining principles of Peter Appleyard’s life and career, and is something that I aspire to emulate in my own.
Last week, Isabella alongside Peter Appleyard Jr. joined Heather Bambrick in the morning for an interview during Wake Up!, you can listen to the full interview below.