Two Burnside High School musicians are heading to one of the world’s leading contemporary music colleges after securing full tuition scholarships valued at $400,000 each.

Graduating student Reiss Fatani has earned a place at Berklee College of Music in Boston, joining fellow student Corban Blackwell, whose scholarship was announced in September.

Both will begin full time studies in the United States in 2027, in what the Christchurch school describes as a historic double.

Fatani secured her scholarship through a competitive audition showcasing her talents as both a vocalist and saxophonist.

She has spent five years in Burnside’s Specialist Music Programme, where teachers describe her as one of the most naturally talented and versatile musicians in its 30 year history.

Burnside High School Head of Music Chris Petch said the scholarship was thoroughly deserved.

“Reiss is a truly gifted instrumentalist across multiple genres,” he said.

“She has been equally celebrated with countless ‘Best Vocalist’ awards at the Jazz Quest and Jazz Bandit competitions, alongside winning ‘Best Overall Musician’.”

Fatani’s success follows a string of national achievements as a singer and songwriter.

She placed second in the 2026 Smokefreerockquest duo competition alongside fellow student Alex Gibson and has been regularly recognised in the Play it Strange awards.

This year, she was also selected as an emerging young artist member of the Aotearoa Jazz Orchestra, a professional ensemble featuring leading jazz musicians from across New Zealand.

Her performances have ranged from solo vocals with Christchurch band Symposium to fronting Burnside High School’s Big Band, Funk Band and Specialist Music Programme Jazz Combo.

Most recently, she competed with Hoodwink, which won its category at the Generations in Jazz festival in Mount Gambier, Australia.

Fatani has already had a taste of life at Berklee, attending a five week summer programme there in July. She will relocate to Boston next year.

The two students follow in the footsteps of Burnside Specialist Music Programme graduate Will Luhrs, who began studying at Berklee on a full tuition scholarship in 2025.