PEMBROKE — The UNC Pembroke Department of Music hosted its 20th annual Honors Recital on Tuesday, in Moore Hall Auditorium, featuring student performances, award presentations and a tribute to a retiring faculty member.
The most prestigious of the 13 named awards, the Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award of $4,000, was presented to DeWhitt Locklear, a junior music industry major and flutist.
Locklear grew up in Red Springs and began his college career at UNCP in 2019. He has performed on flute in jazz combos and doubled on tenor saxophone in the jazz ensemble. As a member of these groups, Locklear has had the opportunity to perform at the South Carolina Jazz Festival (2021) and the Jazz Education Network national conference in Dallas (2022). He has also performed with the Sandhills Community College Jazz Band.
In March, Locklear was chosen as a featured soloist in the UNCP’s annual Concerto Competition and performed an arrangement of “Baroque and Blue,” the first movement from Claude Bolling’s Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio. When not performing, Locklear works as a recording technician for the Music Department, making audio recordings of recitals and concerts and assisting with other department events, including the UNCP Honor Jazz Festival. He has also volunteered with the Lumbee Tribe since 2019. Locklear plans to graduate in May 2023 and hopes to continue performing.
The Presser Foundation’s Undergraduate Scholar Award is presented to a rising senior music major. The award is designed to encourage and support the education of a music student who exemplifies high academic and musical accomplishment, leadership, and citizenship. Recipients are known as “Presser Scholars.” The funds may be applied towards educational expenses or outside musical opportunities.
