Amy Thompson, a harp performance major, has been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal Award for Youth. Thompson, a native of Springfield, Tenn., is one of just two Tennesseans who received the honor for 2012.
The Robertson Country Times, in an article published April 9, detailed Thompson’s awards ceremony, which was held April 4, 2013, at the Robertson County Courthouse. U.S. Sixth District Rep. Diane Black, R-Gallatin, presented her with the award.
Criteria for the award include achievements in volunteer public service, personal development, physical fitness, and travel and/or exploration. Thompson’s activities, according to the Robertson County Times, included volunteering at the local library and the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, playing harp at two assisted living facilities, running a half-marathon, taking ballroom dancing classes, and traveling throughout Tennessee and Georgia to learn about the Civil War era in the American South.
More recently, Thompson was one of three featured soloists at the annual Concerto Competition at the Blair School, performing Maurice Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute and Clarinet, and String Quartet, accompanied by the Vanderbilt Symphony Orchestra.