Shaumik Phadke, a sophomore at Parkland High School, is the first winner of the Dr. Albert Hofammann Scholarship for Young Pianists awarded by the Allentown Music Club.

This is the first year that the scholarship, which includes a $1,000 honorarium, is being awarded in honor of Hofammann, a former music critic for The Morning Call newspaper, and a performing artist of the Allentown Music Club since the 1930's.

Phadke performed the Third Movement of Sonata in F Major, K322, by Mozart and "Berceuse" by Chopin at the club's annual Christmas recital Dec. 7 at Hope United Church of Christ, 1031 Flexer Avenue, Salisbury Township.

Phadke, a son of Varsha and Sameer Phadke of Orefield, North Whitehall Township, studies piano with Darlene Ziegler and is a former student of Grace Mealey.

Phadke is a paid accompanist and soloist for services, choirs, guest musicians and programs at Zion Reformed U.C.C. Church, "The Liberty Bell Church," 620 W. Hamilton St., Allentown. He is receiving lessons from Jane Ellen Knotek, Director of Music Ministry at Zion.

Phadke, a member of the Young Musicians Club since 2008, has consistently received "Superior" or "Superior Plus" ratings in National Piano Guild Auditions, the Dorothy Sutton Performance Festival and the LV-PMTA Achievement Award Auditions.

In 2013, he won the Camp Award from the Allentown Music Club. He used the scholarship to attend the Summer Jazz Camp at Moravian College after his freshman year. Last summer, he attended the Piano Camp at the Honors Music Institute at The Pennsylvania State University.

Phadke was a keyboardist for Parkland High School's 2014 spring production of "The Wizard of Oz." He is a piano accompanist for the Parkland High School Concert Choir, solo performers (voice, alto-saxophone and violin) at the Young Musicians Club meetings and vocal students at the studio of voice teacher Gail Grossman.

He has placed in the District Chorus as a piano accompanist for two years in a row.

This past year, he performed with the Allentown Band under the direction of Ronald Demkee.

At Parkland High School, Phadke is a member of the Math Honor Society. He participates in the Science Olympiad and was part of the Parkland team that went to the Nationals competition in Florida.

He plans to continue music education in college where he will major in mathematics.