USM Music Student Wins Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award

Wed, 04/19/2023 - 09:00am | By: Mike Lopinto

Nicholas Dauerer, a junior music performance major with a business administration minor at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), was recently named the 2023 Presser Undergraduate Scholar. 

Selected by the music faculty guided solely by consideration of excellence and merit, this award is an honor award and the student, in his/her senior year, is to be known as a Presser Scholar. The award includes a generous stipend to aid in continuing musical studies.

The Presser Foundation was established in 1939 under the Deeds of Trust and Will of the late Theodore Presser. It is one of the few private foundations in the United States dedicated solely to music education and music philanthropy. 

Theodore Presser (1848 – 1925) rose from humble beginnings to become a respected music teacher and publisher. Familiar with the many challenges facing musicians, he established The Presser Foundation which supports music performance and education through undergraduate and graduate scholar awards, operating and program support for music organizations, capital grants for music building projects, and assistance to retired music teachers.

“Nicholas is a musical and academic leader in the School of Music,” said Dr. Colin McKenzie, Director of the School of Music. “His future impact on our profession is made evident through his dedication in the classroom, practice room, and on the stage.  His accomplishments are a recognition of his hard work and that of the people who teach him every day. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work with all of the incredibly gifted students of the School of Music.  Nicholas represents the best of those students and, as such, is a leader among all students at The University of Southern Mississippi.”

A resident of Smyrna, Tenn., Dauerer has played trombone for 10 years. His love for music began as a toddler when he would nag his mother to put on Baby Mozart DVDs.

While attending Stewarts Creek High School, he participated in Tennessee All-State Ensembles for three consecutive years playing in the Jazz Band, Concert Band, and as principal in the Orchestra. However, it wasn’t until attending the Tennessee Governor’s School that he realized he wanted to study music. 

In the summer of 2019, he attended Interlochen Center for the Arts where he served as principal trombone of the World Youth Wind Symphony. He was also a scholarship recipient of the Myra Jackson Blair Pre-College Academy at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music where he studied under Nick Laufer and served as principal trombone for the Curb Youth Symphony Orchestra. He is a recipient of his high school band’s highest honor, the John Phillip Sousa Award as well as the 2020 MTSBOA All-Middle Tennessee Musicianship Scholarship. 

At Southern Miss, he studies trombone with Dr. Ben Mcllwain. There, he is trombone section leader for The Pride of Mississippi Marching Band and plays in the select Trombone Octet. He is also principal trombone of the Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. In 2022, he was a semifinalist for the S.E. Shires Solo Competition at the Southeast Trombone Symposium. Nicholas is also employed playing trombone at Temple Baptist Church and for the show choirs at Petal High School. 

“Nicholas epitomizes what Southern Miss and the School of Music is all about - excellence both academically and musically, while maintaining a humble spirit and character that sets the example for others,” said trombone professor, Dr. Ben McIlwain. “I first met Nicholas when teaching at a summer music festival in Tennessee while he was in high school. I knew immediately that I wanted him to be part of our USM family.”

After USM, Nicholas will pursue a master’s degree in trombone performance.

For more information about the School of Music, please visit their website.