San Angelo's Jon Dirk Ross Named 2025-26 Presser Scholar

SAN ANGELO, TX - Jon Dirk Ross of San Angelo, a senior music/voice major at Angelo State University, has earned a 2025-26 Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award from the Presser Foundation in Philadelphia that includes a $3,000 scholarship and the title of Presser Scholar.

The Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award annually celebrates students, selected by their music faculty during their final year of study, "who have achieved a high level of music and academic excellence, demonstrated leadership and contributed to an inclusive community." Use of the scholarship funds is at the discretion of the award recipients and may be applied towards expenses normally incurred in pursuit of a degree, or for additional enrichment and musical advancement opportunities that are not normally provided in a university or conservatory setting.

Angelo State's music program was invited to join the Presser Foundation scholarship program in 2023, and Ross is the third ASU student to be named a Presser Scholar. It is the most prestigious undergraduate honor in music at Angelo State.

"The music faculty at Angelo State is immensely proud of Dirk's accomplishments and the exemplary way he represents ASU throughout the region and beyond," said Dr. Stephen Emmons, professor of music. "We look forward with great anticipation to watching his life and career continue to flourish in the years ahead."

A graduate of San Angelo Central High School, Ross will graduate from ASU in May with a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance. He has performed with the University Chorale and Chamber Singers, and he was one of the first students to join the ASU Opera Theater program when it was revived in 2023. He was a winner of the 2025 ASU Concerto and Aria Competition, and he has performed with the San Angelo Symphony and the Permian Basin Opera Company.

Ross has also been selected to participate in three prestigious young artist programs: the Chicago Summer Opera, the OperaMaya International Music Festival in Mexico, and the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria.

"None of this would have been possible without the education and guidance I received at Angelo State University," Ross said. "I am proud to have been, and continue to be, a representative of Angelo State at these programs, and I am very grateful to the professors who have helped me get to where I am today."

In addition to his Presser Scholar Award, Ross placed second at Opera Mississippi's 2026 John Alexander National Vocal Competition and has also earned awards at the AIMS Meistersinger Finals Concert, Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and National Association of Teachers of Music South Texas Chapter Conference.

Following his ASU graduation, Ross plans to pursue a professional opera career, and he has already been offered a Resident Artist position with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City.