Dan Stover and Kay
DAN STOVER MEMORIAL MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP
Musically talented high school students each year participate in a Rotary District 5300 program entitled the Dan Stover Memorial Music Scholarship, and winners qualify for educational awards that enable them to further their studies at an accredited college, university, or music conservatory upon high school graduation.
WHO WAS DAN STOVER AND WHY IS THIS SCHOLARSHIP NAMED AFTER HIM?
The worlds of education and music transected in the life of Dan Stover, a secondary education professional whose musical talents were shared with his family, his community, and certainly with Rotary, at both the local and District levels.
Dan Stover was an educator who always placed the student first, and his obvious respect for his students transformed the lives of countless young people. He shared his love of learning with the young, providing them with a positive role model for structuring their studies and their lives.
And Dan Stover was an accomplished musician, both as a vocalist and an instrumentalist. He was as much at home in the finals of Barber Shop Quartet competition as he was at the keyboard of his famous “Rotary” organ, serenading Club meetings and District Conferences with his unique musical wizardry.
Dan Stover passed away shortly following the 1987 District Conference at which his friend and follow Alhambra Rotarian, Dr. Tim Keen Siu, became District Governor. Dan was noticeably ill at the conference, but he played out his heart for Dr. Tim and others, knowing that the show must go on.
HOW THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM BEGAN
The Rotary Club of Alhambra, in the year following Dan Stover’s death, established a Music Scholarship Program and Competition in Dan’s name. The program was proposed, organized, and championed by new Rotarian Christine Montan who, as Alhambra’s first woman Rotarian, quickly recognized and appreciated the talent and effectiveness of Dan Stover as a Rotarian and as a person.
Under Rotarian Montan’s leadership, the Dan Stover Memorial Music Scholarship “graduated” into a District program in the following year, and the rest is history. A whole generation of talented, young musicians have had the opportunity, in the name of Dan Stover, to compete against their peers, and earn funds to further their musical education.
A FINER TRIBUTE TO DAN STOVER COULD NOT BE IMAGINED!
2025-2026 Competition
Competition Levels:
The Dan Stover Memorial Music Contest consists of three (3) or four (4) levels:
- If a club attracts a large field of musicians to compete, there are options available to manage the field. We can suggest either a live Audition Round be held, or require musicians to submit videos of their playing for review by the Club Committee.
- Club Competition
- Regional Competition
- District Competition
Competition Completion Schedule:
- Club level competitions need to be completed by April 30, 2026. Club winners will move on to compete at the Regional Final. Club Chairs will determine the schedule for their clubs. We suggest that the club retain all competition applications and forward the winner’s application to the Regional Chair/Coordinator.
- Regional level competitions need to be completed by May 15, 2026. Regional winners will move on to the District Final. Regional Chairs will determine the schedule, coordinate funding from participating clubs, arrange for the venue, piano rental and tuning (as appropriate), finding independent judges and providing appropriate honoraria.
- Regional winners will compete at the District Final on May 23, 2026 at the District Conference (Location and time to be determined).
There will be four (4) Regional Competitions:
- California West
- California East
- Antelope Valley/High Desert
- Southern Nevada
Responsibilities of the Chairs at each level:
Club Chairs
- Club competitions should be completed by April 30, 2026. Once the club winner is chosen, the winner’s application should be forwarded to the Regional Chair/Coordinator.
- In addition to the $350 District Fee, the Club budget should include planning for additional expenses such as:
- Prize monies to the club competitors: 1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place. Payments should be made by check from the club.
- Piano rental and tuning, if needed. Grand piano rental, delivery/pickup, and tuning should cost approximately $1000-$1200.
- Judges’ honoraria—gift cards are Payment should be made by check to the judges.
- Meals: Students may bring several guests, including parents, siblings, their teachers, and their accompanists. It is customary that meals for the musician, accompanist, and parents should be covered by the Clubs should decide how to handle this and clearly communicate to the students and their parents what the policy will be.
- Market the competition to their local Outreach to public schools, private schools, private teachers (Music Teachers’ Association of California chapters in your area are a great place to start), private music conservatories, youth orchestras. Sample media kit is on the website that includes sample language for the email body, press release, Stover history, Competition Rules, flyer, and fillable PDF application form. Feel free to edit as needed.
- If the field of applicants is larger, you may need an audition round or need to hear videos. Club committee members can decide which competitors will appear at the club competition.
- Find 3 judges for the Club competition. They should be seasoned and experienced professional musicians or teachers and should be completely The judges should receive an appropriate honorarium for their services. Gift cards are discouraged. Payments to the judges should be made by check.
- Organize Club committee that will assist in event registration desk, run-of-show, Select an MC for the event. A sample Run-of-show script is available on the website. Please feel free to edit as needed.
- Adjudication Forms should be prepared in advance of the event. Fillable PDF forms are available on the One set of forms should be provided to the committee members (for audition/video evaluations) and for the judges. The Time Sheet form is also available on the website.
- If any prize monies awarded are more than $600 to an individual, a form W-9 will be The form is included on the website, and it is a fillable PDF.
Regional Chair/Coordinator
- Regional competitions should be completed by May 15, Once the regional winner is chosen, the winner’s applications should be forwarded to the District Chair.
- Select a Club in the Region to host the The club will be asked to collect the requested monies from the clubs in the region and make payments as needed.
- In addition to the $350 District Fee and the Club Budget, the budget for the Regional Final should be developed by the Regional Chair in coordination with the Club Chairs and Club leadership. This should include planning for expenses such as:
- Prize monies to the Regional competitors: 1st, place, 2nd place, and 3rd place. Payments should be made by check from the club. The amounts should reflect the significance of the advancement to the Regional final and will be determined by the clubs supporting the Regional effort.
- Piano rental and tuning, if needed. Grand piano rental, delivery/pickup, and tuning should cost approximately $1000-$1200.
- Judges’ honoraria—gift cards are discouraged. Payment should be made by check to the Amounts to be paid to judges at this round should reflect the achievement of the competitors who have advanced to this level.
- We do not suggest planning for any meals or refreshments, other than bottled water for this It is not expected by anyone that this be provided.
- Find 3 judges for the Club competition. They should be seasoned and experienced professional musicians or teachers and should be completely The judges should receive an appropriate honorarium for their services.
- Coordinate with the Host Club Committee Chair to assist in event registration desk, run-of-show, Select an MC for the event. A sample Run-of-show script is available on the website. Please feel free to edit as needed.
- Adjudication Forms should be prepared in advance of the event. Fillable PDF forms are available on the One set of forms should be provided to the committee members (for audition/video evaluations) and for the judges. The Time Sheet form is also available on the website.
- If any prize monies awarded are more than $600 to an individual, a form W-9 will be The form is included on the website, and it is a fillable PDF.
Prize money awards:
Cash prize monies are awarded at the Club, Regional, and District levels. Awards are offered to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. Historically, the combined total winnings for the District Final Winner has been $4500-$5000. This is dependent on the number of clubs what choose to participate in the District Competition and the additional amounts the clubs will offer to the Club and Regional winner
Contestant Documents
2026 Dan Stover Registration Form
2025-Dan-Stover-Contest (PPTX) Coming Soon
Adjudication Form (Fillable PDF) Coming Soon
Time Sheet (Fillable PDF) Coming Soon
Sample Media Kit Coming Soon
2026 Regional Winner Submission Form
I look forward to supporting you as we bring this historic and important musical event to life again in 2026. If you are new to the competition and are interested in finding out more, please feel free to contact me.
For those of you who have an interest in some new ideas to develop a marketing strategy and streamline your implementation, I have some thoughts that you may find useful. Please do not hesitate to let me know.
Mike Bernard
District 5300 Stover Chair
818-207-6299
Email: [email protected]