The Steve Barton Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Musical Theatre was established by the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System on February 14, 2011, to benefit The University of Texas College of Fine Arts Department of Theatre and Dance. The endowment honors Mr. Steve Barton. Gift funds were provided by Ms. Maria Candil.

Both Endowed Presidential Scholarships honor the late Steve Barton, who passed away in 2001 at the age of 47, due to heart failure. A gifted pianist since his childhood, Steve studied theater, dance, and singing at The University of Texas at Austin, appearing in dozens of productions on campus and in Austin. He later traveled to Europe in the 1970s, where he acted in major Swiss, German, and Austrian theater companies.

Maria Candil, of Madrid, Spain, tells us she contributed to both of the Steve Barton scholarships to honor the memory of a man who received many scholarships himself, which he deeply appreciated. She will be proud, she says — and thinks Steve would be as well — if the scholarships enable future UT piano and musical theatre students to help make Texas fine arts shine like he did.

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