Index
Scholarships
The G. Roberts Kolb Scholarship
The G. Roberts Kolb Scholarship was established by Dave Steadman, Class of 2003, his wife Daphne Kiplinger, and their family to provide funding to students who are actively and passionately involved in the campus choral singing community or the College's performing arts program.
This Fund was established by David “Dave” T. Steadman, Class of 2003, his wife, Daphne Kiplinger, and their family in honor of G. Roberts “Rob” Kolb, the Marjorie and Robert W. McEwen Professor of Music Emeritus, and his devotion to teaching the joy of choral singing to generations of Hamilton students, as well as in gratitude for the generous financial aid that Dave received during his time on the Hill.
Appointed to the faculty in 1981, Rob directed choral activities at Hamilton for 36 years. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Occidental College, a master’s degree at California State University at Fullerton, and a doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Rob currently conducts Tapestry, the All-Centuries Singers, and is the past conductor of the Syracuse Vocal Ensemble and the Cayuga Vocal Ensemble. He is a contributing author to Up Front!: Becoming the Complete Choral Conductor. His long list of work on behalf of Hamilton includes chairing the Music Department and the Faculty Committee on Budget and Finance, serving as acting dean of faculty, acting dean of students, and chair of the faculty. Rob also served on the Phi Beta Kappa membership committee, the Committee on Admission and Financial Aid, and the Presidential Task Force on Academic and Student Life.
Rob is beloved by his singers for his warmth, down-to-earthness, good humor, and sheer exuberance for the choral art form. To sing for Rob is a deeply joyful and moving experience, no more so than when performing the College's alma mater, “Carissima.” In the winter, he made it a tradition for the choir to produce a musical rehearsed and staged in a matter of weeks. The annual spring choir tour was a rite of passage that bonded singers personally and musically, cementing lifelong friendships.
Of special note is the richly varied and expansive choral repertoire that Rob so thoughtfully and artfully programmed year after year. From choral classics and African American spirituals to the new works from contemporary composers and choral masterworks, he ensured that his students sampled a little bit of everything from across the canon.
Alumni will fondly recall Rob's spring tradition of presenting each graduating choir member with a unique Italian musical term, expertly selected to match the senior's persona. While there are so many terms that would be suitable to present to him at this moment, the donors have selected con amore e devozione – with love and devotion. It is the donors’ hope that future Kolb Scholarship recipients will feel empowered to continue to share, with the world, their love for singing and performing, enhanced by their experiences on College Hill.
Please note: The named scholarships profiled on these pages support the College’s generous need-based financial aid commitment. These donor-funded scholarships help ensure the Hamilton promise of keeping education affordable through meeting a student’s full demonstrated financial need.
