BMI Congratulates its 2025 Recipients of the Abe Olman and Curtis Mayfield Scholarships

BMI is proud to congratulate our songwriters recognized with the 2025 Abe Olman and Curtis Mayfield Scholarships. On Monday, June 9, BMI hosted award recipients Anca trio plus one, Ella Boh, Oscar Santander, and Justin Miller to the BMI New York office to celebrate this exciting achievement, while Sydney Rose was unable to attend as she is currently on tour her certificate will be presented at her June 17 show in New York. The awardees will be officially honored at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday, June 12.

Presented by BMI and the Songwriters Hall of Fame and made possible each year by the Olman family to nurture burgeoning songwriters in honor of the career of Abe Olman, a lifelong songwriter and titan of the music publishing community, this year’s Abe Olman Scholarships were awarded to BMI songwriters Anca trio plus one, Ella Boh, Oscar Santander, and Sydney Rose.

Anca trio plus one, led by Greg Sekeres, is a multi-instrument ensemble based in Los Angeles. Originally violin-based, they stand as a testament to the boundless creativity and innovation thriving within the heart of the music industry, continually pushing the boundaries of sound and leaving an indelible mark on listeners worldwide.

Los Angeles-based songwriter, producer, and artist, Ella Boh is known for her gritty, emotive, and cinematic dark-pop sound. She has built a repertoire of collaborations with artists ranging from Selena Gomez to Ben Bohmer and is signed with Poems for publishing and Bamboo Artists for label releases. Ella is locked in producing breakout artist Ari Abdul, managing creative direction with the same intensity she brings to her own records. Ella is also the driving force behind The Butterfly Movement, a community fostering connection and self-expression, embodying her perfectionist yet authentic approach to music and career building.

Oscar Santander is a Houston-born, Los Angeles-based songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He’s notably known as Omar Apollo’s guitarist and keyboardist, producing several tracks across Apollo’s albums, including six songs on his debut album Ivory and two on Apolonio, among them hits like “Killing Me,” “The Two Of Us,” and “Endlessly.” Beyond his work with Omar Apollo, Oscar has produced for a diverse range of artists such as Paris Texas, Smino, Orion Sun, and Maxo Kream, and he’s also the guitarist and producer for the punk band Fade Em All.

Georgia-born, Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Sydney Rose gained widespread recognition after her viral cover of “Turning Page” by Sleeping At Last. She signed her first label deal at 18, releasing the You Never Met Me EP and her debut LP, One Sided. In November 2024, Ella independently released the fan-favorite voice notes EP, and her 2025 single “We Hug Now” became a massive TikTok hit, leading to a new deal with Mercury Records for her latest EP I Know What I Want.

The Curtis Mayfield Scholarship Award, meanwhile, was awarded to Justin Miller. Bestowed annually and supported by the Curtis Mayfield family, the award recognizes promising singer/songwriters whose work reflects the inspiration, spirit and soul of Curtis Mayfield.

Justin Miller, professionally known as Jmiller, is a Fort Worth, Texas native, Berklee College of Music graduate, and a highly accomplished songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and engineer. Now based in NYC, he quickly made a name for himself, securing production placements with artists like Veeze and No Cap, and working as an in-house engineer and producer at Off Record Studios. Justin has unreleased songs with Rylo Rodriguez, Swae Lee, SAFE, DaBaby, and Col3trane, and is locked in with super producers Hitmaka, Aidan Brody, and Jiggi. His loops have been used by Mike Will Made It, Dundeal, and Tay Keith. Miller’s versatile style, spanning R&B, hip-hop, pop, and vintage sounds, has contributed to over 25 million streams within a year of his first major placement.

Congratulations again to all on this well-deserved recognition!