Flora Sullivan Named 2024 Jimmy Lyons Scholarship Recipient
Flora Sullivan
Image by Tressa Davies
Flora Sullivan, a drummer from the San Francisco Bay Area, has been named the 27th recipient of Berklee's Jimmy Lyons Scholarship, a four-year, full-tuition award presented in conjunction with the Monterey Jazz Festival.
Sullivan, who will begin her studies at Berklee in Boston this fall, is planning to major in professional performance. In addition to being awarded the scholarship, she will also perform at the 67th annual Monterey Jazz Festival, with students from the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice Quartet, September 27–29, where she will receive her award onstage.
Previous recipients of the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship include Billy Buss BM ’09 (Billy Hart), Rushad Eggleston ’03 (Crooked Still), Milton Fletcher BM ’03 (Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah), Jonathan Pinson BM ’11 (Wayne Shorter), Dayna Stephens ’01 (Kenny Barron), and James Williams ’06 (Gary Burton).
The Jimmy Lyons Scholarship represents a significant step toward achieving my goals and is further fueling my passion and excitement for what’s to come.
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“Receiving the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship is profoundly meaningful to me as a female jazz drummer who has overcome many challenges on my musical journey and dedicated countless hours of practice to pursuing my dreams,” says Sullivan. “This scholarship is not just financial support but a testament to my hard work, validating my decision to leave UC Berkeley to follow a career in the arts. I can’t express how honored I am to be performing at the Monterey Jazz Festival alongside all of my idols. It will truly be an unforgettable experience. The Jimmy Lyons Scholarship represents a significant step toward achieving my goals and is further fueling my passion and excitement for what’s to come.”
Sullivan has been playing the drums ever since she could see over the drum set. She attended Berkeley High School, where she played in the top jazz ensemble and received the opportunity to study at La Escuela Nacional de Arte in Cuba. After high school, Sullivan enrolled in UC Berkeley to study climate policy, but soon realized she wanted to pursue music instead. She began taking classes at the California Jazz Conservatory and gigging at larger venues around the Bay Area, such as Mr. Tipple's Jazz Club in San Francisco.
“Flora is an outstanding musician who, in addition to being a talented drummer, writes songs and plays piano and guitar in addition to singing,” says Damien Bracken, dean of admissions at Berklee. “She also uses Ableton Live in her compositions. She is passionate about self expression and gender inclusivity and plans to pursue jazz performance at Berklee. We are excited to have Flora join our dynamic community this fall.”
About the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship
In 1996, Berklee, in association with the Monterey Jazz Festival, created the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship, in honor of the festival’s founder. Started as a nonprofit in 1958, the Monterey Jazz Festival is the longest continuously running jazz festival in the world, and has presented nearly every major jazz artist over the last 60-plus years—from Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Dave Brubeck, Tony Bennett, and Miles Davis to contemporary masters Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall, Wynton Marsalis, Norah Jones, and esperanza spalding. As a nonprofit, the Monterey Jazz Festival is devoted to jazz education by presenting year-round local, regional, national, and international programs.