A Stanford senior and a recent graduate will head to Ireland next year for a year of post-graduate study. Senior Mike Solomon and Alex Greninger, Class of 2004, were recipients of the George J. Mitchell Scholarship, an annual award given to approximately 12 college students around the country who have distinguished themselves both in and out of the classroom.

The scholarship, sponsored by the non-profit U.S.-Ireland Alliance and named for a former U.S. Senator involved in the Northern Ireland peace process, covers both tuition and housing and provides students with stipends for travel and living expenses.

Solomon, who is majoring in both music and public policy, plans to study musical composition at the Queen’s University in Belfast. Throughout his Stanford career, Solomon, a composer since the age of 11, has developed and explored his craft, having been involved with the a cappella group Fleet Street and the Ram’s Head Theatrical Society.

Greninger, a double major in international relations and biological sciences, is no stranger to academic success. He has previously been awarded for his academic accomplishments, having won a Firestone Medal for Excellence in Undergraduate Education for one of three honors theses he wrote. (He was unavailable for comment at press time for this article, but a profile featuring him will run later this week.)

Greninger is currently in England, studying epidemiology at Cambridge University on a Churchill Scholarship, and next year plans to study management science at the University College Dublin’s Michael Smurfit School of Business.

“As a composer, I’ve found that the greatest opportunities to write come outside the classroom,” Solomon said. “I’d say that Gaieties, Fleet Street, Pinkertons [an opera], and my band 2ME9 are the four accomplishments I’m proudest of. The musical world of all four activities is so different that ‘musicking’ never gets old, which is important, as my composition skills start to atrophy if I don’t have diverse and talented ensembles to write for.”

In the future, Solomon said he hopes to take his musical skills to a higher, professional level.

“My advisor tells his students that composition is a 24 / 7 process, where your life experiences are fair game for material,” he said. “I totally agree with this statement, and feel that a change of scenery will aid my craft more than pursuing grad school in the United States.”

“I also look forward to composing on a more intimate scale. Ireland tends to breed great chamber composers, and most of my opportunities here have been for larger ensembles.”

Solomon cited his many on-campus musical commitments as his fondest memories.

“Three that stick out are conducting Gaieties on a Friday night, conducting the Stanford Hymn at Fleet Street Spring Show, and playing an all-80s cover party @ 680,” he said. “All of those gigs had really fun rehearsal processes, great crowds, and solid musical performances.”