Kahala resident Melody Rose Lindsay is one of three young people nationally to be named a 2009 Davidson Fellow Laureate and will receive a $50,000 scholarship for being great at doing what she loves: playing the harp.

Lindsay, 17, is the first harpist to win the scholarship and one of nine musicians to win the award since the Davidson Fellows Scholarship began in 2001, according to the Nevada-based Davidson Institute, which aims to nurture and support gifted and talented children.

The other 2009 winners will be announced later and an awards ceremony will be held in late September in Washington, D.C., at The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian.

Lindsay has performed at two World Harp Conferences, one in Dublin and again in Amsterdam, and she was also chosen as a Cultural Ambassador for National Public Radio's "From the Top," according to her parents and one of her teachers, Elzbeita Szmyt.

At age 12, Lindsay performed with the Honolulu Symphony in the Dittersdorf Concerto. She also received the American Harp Society's Mildred Biehn Johnson prize.

She began to play the harp at age 4 and was the youngest student accepted into the preparatory harp program at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, her parents said.

"It was the only instrument my mother couldn't play," Lindsay said about her instrument of choice. "If you're smart like I was at age 4, you'll never play an instrument your parents can play because that's asking for trouble and constant criticism."

The family ended up driving three hours from their Kentucky home to Indiana so Lindsay could take lessons from Szmyt.

"I accepted Melody in our program at such a young age because of her amazing gift of playing the harp," Szmyt said. "That was my first impression, which was only confirmed as I worked with her through the years."

Szmyt described Lindsay as a quick learner with a great sense of humor who is open-minded to suggestions from her teachers.

When her family moved to Hawai'i in 2001, Lindsay began taking lessons from Constance Uejio, principal harpist for the Honolulu Symphony. Lindsay called Uejio "the greatest harp teacher and she's a superb role model."

When they met, Uejio said, Lindsay "was only in elementary school and she had already performed a lot. She had a pedal harp and was already playing a difficult repertoire, so we just focused on learning new things and new pieces."

Perhaps Lindsay's only drawback is that she hates to practice.

"She would rather be out performing than practicing," Uejio said. "But she knows she has to practice."

For her winning submission to the Davidson Institute, Lindsay created a program in the form of a concert called "Harping Around the World," which aims to introduce classical music to young people.

Her submission included a 15-minute video that showed clips of Lindsay's performances at community events and free community concerts where she played pieces that would be showcased in her concert for young people.

"I hope other kids, especially in Hawai'i, will try to look outside the box and try for everything they can, to succeed and make their opportunities happen," Lindsay said. "Don't depend on your parents or teachers. You do it because you can and because it's fun and rewarding to do."

Tacie Moessner, the Davidson Fellows Program Manager, said, "The rule of thumb with Davidson is that (the winners) are working at the college graduate level and their projects have the potential to benefit society."

In addition to many awards from the American Harp Society and World Harp Congress, Lindsay is also a National AP Scholar, National Merit Commended Scholar and has three Latin Silver Medals.

Lindsay's father, Mark Lindsay, has a master's and a doctorate degree from Harvard University and is a physics teacher at 'Iolani School. Her mother, Holly Lindsay, is a robotics coach and owns her own business. Lindsay's brother Christopher, 10, is a robotics fanatic and plays the flute, organ and drums.

Lindsay plans to go to Princeton University in the fall to study biochemistry, astrophysics and economics..

But before leaving for Princeton, Lindsay will play one final, free concert to say thanks to those in the community who supported her.

"I will always be a harpist for my whole life, God willing," Lindsay said. "It represents the best of me and is something I truly love to do."