Ashni M. Budge ’24, ’24E

Talent, drive, and donor generosity fuel the ambitions of this scholarship recipient

Budge is the recipient of multiple scholarships, including significant support from the Joyce Osborn Violin Scholarship, made possible through the generosity of Joyce Osborn and the Wegman Family Scholarship Challenge.

By the time Ashni Budge arrived at the Eastman School of Music, she’d already dedicated most of her life to music. She started playing the violin at just three years old. When she was five, she added the piano to her repertoire.

At about that same time, Budge’s family discovered that she had perfect pitch. Budge attributes that to her grandmother, a professional Chinese opera singer. “She taught my younger brother and me to sing,” says Budge, who grew up outside of Los Angeles. “I have vivid memories of the two of us performing and of me putting on operas for our family.”

In middle school, Budge joined the band and, even though it didn’t have a string section, she wasn’t deterred. That’s when she picked up the clarinet, which she continued playing throughout high school. She joined the choir, too.

When it came time to decide on a college, Budge knew Eastman was for her. She was drawn to its renowned reputation and that it is part of the University of Rochester, a leading private research university with a flexible undergraduate curriculum. She was also excited to travel and live on the other side of the country.

Being a scholarship recipient has made it all possible for Budge. “Without the generosity of others, I couldn’t afford to be here,” she adds. “I can’t believe that people who don’t even know me have provided me with scholarships. Someday, I hope to help others in a similar way.”

Budge and Nicholas Garcia-Hettinger ’24E, a Hamlin Family Scholarship Fund recipient, in the Wolk Atrium, Eastman School of Music

In the meantime, Budge is taking advantage of every opportunity. Not only is she an applied music major studying violin at Eastman, she is also a psychology major and brain and cognitive sciences minor at the University’s School of Arts & Sciences. Along the way, she’s performed in live-to-picture renditions of Danny Elfman’s Batman, cofounded a string quartet with friends, called the Avant Quartet, and earned the prestigious position of concertmaster for the Eastman Philharmonia. Budge has been recognized for her academic achievements, too. She’s on the dean’s list and was inducted into Psi Chi, the International Honor Society for psychology students, as a sophomore.

In 2022, Budge and her quartet participated in what’s become a life-changing experience for her: Eastman-to-Go. This one-semester chamber music course provides select ensembles opportunities to bring music into the Greater Rochester community, with a focus on presenting classical music to new, young audiences. Budge loved it, and so did the people with whom she interacted.

For instance, at the Dr. Charles T. Lunsford School No. 19, one of the schools they visited, Budge’s influence was so significant that she was invited back for the 2023–24 academic year to give violin lessons to fifth graders. “Working with them has been among the best experiences of my life,” says Budge. “We even played a few pieces with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra over the winter holidays, which was a thrill for us all.”

Next up for Budge? In the short term, she’s practicing for a Sibelius violin concerto and a performance of Schubert’s Cello Quintet in C Major. Long term, she hopes to go to graduate school for music. She’s even considering law school someday.

Whatever Budge does, she knows music will always play a part.