The Women’s Club of Farmingdale (WCF) was very proud to present a $1,000 music award to Farmingdale High School (FHS) 2020 graduate Jonathan Doty. The Olive B. O’Connor Music Award is presented every year to a qualifying candidate by the club’s parent organization, The General Federation of Women’s Clubs—New York State. The winner must be a New York State resident, be graduating from an approved New York State Department of Education high school, private school or academy and have had preparatory instruction, either in voice or instrument, at the high school level. The award must be used for continued musical education and be approved by the New York State Music Award Chairman.
Women’s clubs throughout New York State submitted the names of qualifying students before the March 1 deadline. Doty’s application was submitted by Bea Ferrari, a WCF sponsoring club member and retired FHS teacher. Doty has been singing since he was in sixth grade and studying voice since eighth grade. He has been performing high school musicals since his freshman year where he has had the male lead every year. These include Horton in Seussical, The Baker in Into the Woods, Nick Piazza in Fame and most recently, Link Larkin in Hairspray. Also included in his résumé are many performances in outside theater shows. At FHS, Doty was part of the mixed chorus for four years, vocal jazz for three years and the select barbershop quartet for three years. He was bass section leader and has gone to All County Mixed Chorus for two consecutive years. In addition to singing, Doty plays the French Horn and has been one of the drum majors for the Farmingdale High School Marching Band.
Doty will be studying musical theater in college and has already been accepted into two schools for the BFA Musical Theatre Program. Congratulations and much continued success.
—Submitted by the Women’s Club of Farmingdale
