Center Moriches student wins music scholarship

Stephen Buff of Center Moriches was one of 10 high school seniors to be awarded The Long Island Music Entertainment Hall of Fame awards scholarship.

Buff has been playing the flute since 2016 when he began private lessons under the instruction of Dr. Jennifer Haley. Stephen has also performed in the pit orchestra for “Jesus Christ Superstar” and the “Wizard of Oz” at the CM performing Arts Center in Oakdale. He has also participated in his private teacher’s flute choir program over the summer.

“Thank you to the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame for awarding me the 2024 Student Scholarship,” he said. “I am very grateful for this opportunity and excited to continue pursuing music for the rest of my life.”

During his musical career, Buff has obtained perfect scores on all NYSSMA solos for flute since fourth grade. He was honored to be selected for the 2023 All-State Symphonic Band, for piccolo, and the 2023 All-State Symphonic Orchestra, for first flute.

Stephen has been a member of his school’s jazz band since sixth grade, starting on flute and then switching to trombone in 10th grade.

This past summer, he performed with outstanding high school aged musicians in Europe through an organization called American Music Abroad (AMA).  He performed as the lead piccolo and first flute in the orchestrawhile the group toured Austria, Germany, France, Czechia, and Italy.

Outside of school, Stephen plays in many community bands such as the No Doubt World Famous Monday Night Band, under the direction of  Mike Cordaro, and the Greenport Band, conducted by Colin Van Tuyl.

He also has been playing with the Nassau-Suffolk Wind Symphony, directed by Joel Levy, for the past three years, in which he was the principal player this year.

In his future, he will be studying with Dr. Brian Dunbar at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, majoring in music education and music performance for flute.

This year, LIMEHOF awarded 10 graduating students a total of $1,000. The organization also awarded the Pat DeRosa Memorial Scholarship for the second year in a row in memory of LIMHOF inductee Pat DeRosa. This year’s winner was Peter Hoss of Greenlawn.

Additional students from across Long Island included Cooper Arbisi of Massapequa, Cody Chelune of Levittown, Jocelyn Chiu of Albertson, Guiliana Gallone of Kings Park, Dara Gordon of Dix Hills, Emily Helbock of Sayville, Ryan Loughlin of Farmingdale, Aidan Passaro of Mt. Sinai, and Julian Zuzzolo of Sea Cliff.

"We are thrilled to award these scholarships to such talented and dedicated young musicians,” said Tom Needham, LIMEHOF’s educational programs director. “Supporting the next generation of music students as they embark on their college journeys is at the heart of our mission. These scholarships not only recognize their hard work and passion but also reinforce our commitment to nurturing musical talent and education within our community. We can't wait to see what these young people will accomplish in their musical careers."

This is the first year that LIMEHOF has expanded its scholarships to include not only music but also the performing arts. This also marks the largest number of scholarships awarded in a single year since the program began.

LIMEHOF has awarded tens of thousands of scholarships to Long Island high school students since its inception. The students submit applications that are judged by LIMHOF’s education committee, chaired by board member Tom Needham.

This year had a record number of applications received. Students from schools in Queens and Brooklyn are eligible to apply in addition to those from Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

For more information about LIMEHOF’s scholarships and educational programs visit https://www.limusichalloffame.org/scholarshipsgrants/.

About the Pat DeRosa
Memorial Scholarship

Mr. Pat A. DeRosa performed for many years from Manhattan to Montauk and beyond. He taught music in Huntington and South Huntington and in 2018 the Guinness Book of World Records named him the “World’s Oldest Professional Saxophone Player”. (101 years old and still playing in 2022). Additionally, he was inducted into the Long Island Hall of Fame and the South Huntington Hall of Fame.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in South Huntington, DeRosa  picked up a saxophone in the Bowery with his mom at the age of 12. After High School, he worked at Grumman before he was drafted into WWII where he played with the Glenn Miller Army/Air Force Band.

After the war, he played at The Latin Quarter and the Copacabana as well as other NYC clubs while attending the Manhattan School of Music, where he received a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English horn and oboe. He played with Tommy Tucker, Tex Benecke, Lionel Hampton amongst others while on the road stopping to make a movie in Hollywood where he was invited to have lunch with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. When he returned home, he was introduced to John Coltrane and they played duets together for three years.

Most recently he could be seen playing with his daughter, Patricia DeRosa Padden of Montauk, on piano, and his granddaughter Nicole DeRosa Padden, also of Montauk, on vocals and flute as well as sitting in with numerous bands on the East End and Western Suffolk.

DeRosa  retired from teaching in 1978, but his students continued to contact him often. This Memorial Scholarship has been set up for a High School Senior to continue their studies in music on the saxophone or woodwind instrument. The criteria includes a 95 or above in music and a 90 overall average. An essay should also be provided by the student to show why they would like to continue to pursue music.

About LIMEHOF

Founded in 2004, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the idea that Long Island’s musical and entertainment heritage is an important resource to be celebrated and preserved for future generations. The organization, which encompasses New York State’s Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and Kings (Brooklyn) Counties, was created as a place of community that inspires and explores Long Island music and entertainment in all its forms.  In 2022, LIMEHOF opened its first Hall of Fame building location in Stony Brook, New York. To date, the organization has inducted more than 130 musicians and music industry executives, and offers education programs, scholarships, and awards to Long Island students and educators.