Latest News

Conn-Selmer Announces the Avanti Fund and Scholarship Program

Conn-Selmer Inc., in conjunction with master flutemakers Laura and Bickford Brannen, is pleased to announce the establishment of the Avanti Fund and the Avanti Fund Scholarship program. Two sets of scholarships will be provided by the Avanti Fund, which was created by the Brannens who, along with Conn-Selmer engineers and flutemakers, helped to develop the Avanti Flute line.

The first and smaller set of scholarships (the Avanti Fund Conn-Selmer Employee Scholarships) is for Conn-Selmer’s Elkhart employees and/or family members. The second set, to be known as the Avanti Fund Music Education Scholarships, will be offered nationally to aid qualified students who are pursuing undergraduate degrees in music education. Says Mr. Brannen, “The purpose of these scholarships is very simple.  It is a way of thanking the Conn-Selmer staff and our customers for all they have done to make Conn-Selmer the national leader in band instrument manufacturing.”

The Avanti story began in 2006 when Conn-Selmer CEO John Stoner first approached the Brannens, owners of Brannen Brothers Flutemakers, Inc., about doing a joint project on an advanced student flute. A subsequent visit by the Brannens to the Elkhart facility, highlighted by the warm and enthusiastic reception from the staff, led to a mutual commitment to develop a new line of flutes, to be “Made in America”, and superior to similar instruments being made overseas.

“The main reason for our becoming involved was the opportunity to protect American jobs, but after a very short time – two or three visits – we saw that there was a much greater opportunity at hand than we had realized.” said the Brannens. “The staff at Conn-Selmer was absolutely amazing. We would leave at night puzzling over a difficult issue, and by the time we arrived in the morning they would not only have the problem solved, usually with a working example, but also a list of improvements! This happened time and again.”

“In the final analysis, a much finer instrument was created than we would have dared to hope for. Furthermore, individuals within the project team experienced a renewed sense of excellence in what they were doing. The commitment of the Avanti production team has now been matched by the commitment of Conn-Selmer’s corporate team in financing the Avanti Fund Scholarships. We are thrilled to see this latest development and we feel truly honored and privileged to be part of the Avanti success story.”

More information on these scholarships can be found on the Avanti website at www.avantiflutes.net/scholarship or by contacting Valerie Simosko, Marketing Director for Flutes at Conn-Selmer: (574) 523-0680.