Miss SNPJ 2023
Madison Sinan
SNPJ Lodge 782, Glenshaw, PA
Miss SNPJ 2023 Madison Sinan is a member of Lodge 782 in Glenshaw, Pa. She is the daughter of Kathleen and Maurice Sinan; granddaughter of Angela and the late Maurice Sinan, and Richard and Valerie Kelly; and great-granddaughter of late former SNPJ National Board Member Frank D. Gradisek.
Madison graduated from Seneca Valley High School in Harmony, Pa., with highest honors and recognitions from the National Honor Society and Tri-M Music Honor Society. A dedicated and talented musician, Madison has earned numerous awards and memberships, including the International Trumpet Guild (ITG), the International Women’s Brass Conference (IWBC), S.E. Shires Rising Artist, Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) Honors, District/Region/All-State bands, and – most recently – First Prize in the Band Mock Audition, and Third Prize in the Category 1 Trumpet Solo Division at the International Women’s Brass Conference.
She also graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Messiah University Honors Program with a bachelor of science degree in music education. She earned Music Departmental Honors and was named the 2020 Messiah University Presser Scholar for Music and Academics. While at Messiah, Madison served on the Undergraduate Research Committee, researched as a Smith Scholar, and actively participated in a variety of the university’s music ensembles. She also served as president of the Messiah University Trumpet Association and contributed to the Messiah Chapter of the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME).
Madison currently resides in Boulder, Colo., where she is the director of Children’s and Youth Ministry at Crestview Church, and third trumpet with the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra. She is currently earning a Master of Music in Trumpet Performance at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she performs with the Wind Symphony and Large Trumpet Ensemble.
A lifetime SNPJ member, Madison has been an active member of the Society and the Slovenian community. Growing up, she participated in Youth Circle 36 and SNPJ Lodge events, such as youth bowling, and attended the annual SNPJ Youth Roundup, the TEL Workshop, and Family Weeks. She has also regularly attended Slovenefest; National SNPJ Days; SNPJ Heritage Center events; Westmoreland Federation of SNPJ picnics in Evanstown, Pa.; and Slovenian Days at Kennywood; and has dedicated significant time volunteering at many of these events.
Growing up in a family of proud Slovenians, Madison absorbed years of stories and knowledge about her family’s Slovenian heritage. In 2018 she traveled to Slovenia to see Kamnik, the town the Gradiseks are from, to trace more of her Slovenian heritage with her family.
