The Brockton Symphony is pleased to announce the new sponsor of our Youth Concerto Competition, the Prone Family Foundation. The Brockton Symphony Youth Competition provides the opportunity for an exceptional young musician to solo with the Brockton Symphony, and also offers awards for the first-, second-, and third-place winners. Auditions are held each fall and are open to instrumentalists between the ages of 12 and 18. The Symphony thanks the Prone Family Foundation and our past sponsors for their generous support of young musicians and of this Competition.

Prone Family Foundation

Established by the late attorney Joseph G. Prone of Lawrence, the Prone Family Foundation widely contributes to community and educational enrichment activities with an emphasis on scholarships. The Foundation honors Joseph Prone, a 1946 graduate of Lawrence High School, a 1954 graduate of Harvard Law School, and a retired colonel in the United States Army Reserve. The Prone Family Foundation is managed by Joseph Prone's nephew, Trustee and President Stephen Prone of Stoughton.

Our Chairperson Susan P. Caplan notes, "The Youth Concerto Competition is a mainstay of Brockton Symphony's mission to encourage and stimulate education in classical music and to support young musicians. The Prone Family's truly generous partnership and contribution enables us to continue this important offering to music students in the greater Boston area. We are grateful to Stephen Prone and the Foundation for their generosity."

A few words from our 2016-2021 sponsor

Dr. Carol Vasconcellos MD Esq

I'm a second generation Portuguese-American, from an Azorean immigrant neighborhood in Fall River. My mother was the musical talent in the family - she had a lovely clear soprano voice and was a self-taught popular pianist. We sang together in church often. Not surprisingly, I studied piano as a child too, but classical rather than popular music. For a while I considered a musical career, like most kids taking music lessons, but followed my first dream to medical school.

My family had no funds for education, but I was fortunate enough to win a scholarship to Brandeis University; after four years and a BA I went on to Harvard Medical School. At the time the Armed Forces had a scholarship program for medical students, and so the US Air Force paid my way through medical school. After a residency in Internal Medicine in Boston I owed four years of military service, which I was lucky enough to serve locally, spending four years at Pease AF Base in Portsmouth NH as a general internist and then two years at Hanscom in Bedford as Chief of Clinic Services.

After my military stint, I returned to fellowship in Hematology/Oncology in Boston, first at MGH and then at Brigham & Women's Hospital, where I remained as a staff hematologist and researcher until 1993. I then went into private practice for the next twenty years, serving as Chief of Hematology/Oncology at Norwood Hospital for the final four years, ending in 2016 when I left to fulfill an administrative position with Cigna Corporation. Along the way I went to law school at Boston College, earning a JD in 2009.

I still play piano, and a little violin, having started lessons with BrSO's Chris Nicholas when my youngest daughter was her violin student. I'm not very good, but it brings me great pleasure.

As someone who struggled to finance my education, I truly understand the value of scholarship competitions. I hope my small contribution to the Brockton Symphony's Concerto Competition will help foster the next generation of musically talented young people.

Attorney Kenneth R. Feinberg

Kenneth R. Feinberg of Feinberg Rozen, LLP is one of the nation's leading experts in mediation and alternative dispute resolution. He has been appointed to administer numerous high-profile compensation programs, having served as Special Master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, TARP Executive Compensation, and the Agent Orange Victim Compensation Program.

Mr. Feinberg was appointed by the Obama Administration to serve as Administrator of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility to compensate victims of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. He also served as Administrator of the Aurora Victim Relief Fund following the Aurora, Colorado shootings in 2012 as well as Administrator of the Virginia Tech Hokey Spirit Memorial Fund in 2007.

Most recently, Mr. Feinberg served as Administrator of the One Fund Boston Victim Relief Fund, established to benefit the victims of the Boston Marathon attacks of April 15, 2013.

Mr. Feinberg received his B.A. cum laude from the University of Massachusetts in 1967 and his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1970, where he was Articles Editor of the Law Review. He served as a Law Clerk for Chief Judge Stanley H. Fuld, New York State Court of Appeals from 1970 to 1972; Assistant United States Attorney, Southern District of New York from 1972 to 1975; Special Counsel, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary from 1975 to 1980; Chief of Staff to Senator Edward M. Kennedy from 1978-1980; Founding Partner of the Washington office of Kaye Scholer in 1980; and Founder of The Feinberg Group, LLP in 1993.

Mr. Feinberg has served as Adjunct Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, Columbia University School of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, New York University School of Law, the University of Virginia School of Law, and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

Dr. Thomas Kelley & Dr. Irene Kelley

Dr. Thomas Kelley and Dr. Irene Kelley have supported the Brockton Symphony for over 55 years.

Dr. Thomas Kelley earned an A.B. and M.A. from Boston University, and a Ph.D. from Brown University. Dr. Kelley worked at Instrumentation Laboratories for a number of years before founding several companies involved in biomedical materials. StatsSpin was his company located in Norwood, MA. Reading, playing hockey, and singing Barbershop were hobbies Dr. Kelley enjoyed. But he especially enjoyed attending all of the Brockton Symphony concerts.

Dr. Irene Kelley has played first violin in the Brockton Symphony for 55 years. She received her A.B. and M.A. in Geology from Boston University, then an MLS from Simmons Graduate School of Library Sciences, and an Ed.D. from Boston University School of Education. She has bee Physical Sciences Librarian at Brown University, Public Librarian in Randolph, MA, and School Librarian in Milton, MA until her retirement. She has the honor of appearing in Who’s Who of American Women since 2006. Dr. Irene Kelley has been Co-Chairman (with Jim Messina) of the Brockton Symphony Feinberg Youth Competition since its inception in 2009.