Scholarship
As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Guided by this principle, the Dr. Jeff Kryka and Dr. Eros Zhao Foundation is committed to supporting students majoring in Music Composition at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Each year, our foundation awards scholarships to UCLA composition students, offering not only financial assistance but also invaluable opportunities to help them grow as emerging artists. In addition to scholarships, we provide mentorship and hands-on experiences that bridge the gap between academic study and professional careers in music. Through our foundation, scholarship recipients have the opportunity to collaborate with industry professionals, participate in live performances, and gain real-world exposure, equipping them with the skills and confidence needed to succeed in the competitive field of music composition.
As part of this vision, in 2025, our foundation launched a legacy scholarship at UCLA. All UCLA music students are encouraged to inquiry and apply for this financial support through the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
At the same time, our foundation provided the lead gift to establish the Student Professional Development Fund through UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music Alumni Board. This fund directly addresses the daily financial needs of students, enabling them to fully embrace transformative opportunities as they develop their musical talents and careers.
Together, these initiatives reflect our foundation’s commitment to expanding opportunity and supporting UCLA music students as they pursue excellence in their studies and professional careers.
Scholarship Recipient 2025-2026
Carlos Durán
UCLA The Herb Alpert School of Music
PhD candidate in Music Composition
Carlos Durán (b.1992) is a composer and guitarist from Colombia who writes for both concert and media.
His music has been performed at Carnegie Hall, The Royal Danish Academy, and by the most important Colombian ensembles such as Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá and Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia.
A recent finalist of Krakow FMF Young Talent Award and a Sundance Film Music Lab alumnus, His work includes the Amazon Prime Original Series Filthy Envy, additional music for National Geographic Channel shows The 90’s and the Emmy nominated series Arrepentidos and the India Catalina Award winner Natalia: Crimen y Castigo.
Scholarship Recipient 2024-2025
Sergey Nesterov
UCLA The Herb Alpert School of Music
PhD candidate in Music Composition
Composer, orchestrator and songwriter Sergey Nesterov (alias - Sergey Neiss) has earned recognition in the fields of concert music and media music as a sought-after composer and musical collaborator.
Sergey Nesterov studied composition, conducting, piano, and vocals with the luminaries of the music field in Moscow, Russia, and graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory with honors. In 2020, he was awarded the Boris Tchaikovsky Fund prize for his original orchestrations which were performed across Europe. In 2022, he moved to the United States on a scholarship to study composition at UCLA.
As a concert composer and orchestrator, Nesterov has collaborated with top ensembles and soloists such as New Russia State Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, Banatul Philharmonic of Timișoara Romania, Diotima String Quartet, Grammy® Award-winning Hila Plitmann, Alexander Boldachev, Toni Arnold, and many others. His music has been performed in venues ranging from the Carnegie Hall to the Zaryadye Hall or the Damascus Opera House.