The BMI Foundation announced the establishment of the Kavi Ohri Memorial Scholarship, in memory of friend and colleague Kavi Ohri. As BMI’s Senior Director of Digital Licensing, Ohri served the company for six years and the music industry for over 25 years. Presented each June beginning in 2022, the scholarship will honor Ohri’s many contributions to the music industry, especially to the culture of cooperation and mutual advancement he helped create and foster at BMI.
“Kavi’s passing was a shock to everyone at BMI, and we will miss him very much” said BMI Foundation President Deirdre Chadwick. “He had a wonderful gift for bringing people together to find opportunities for mutual gain, and the creativity he brought to his work made him a joy to collaborate with. We hope that this scholarship will both memorialize our colleague and encourage young people with similar interests to use their talents in the music industry.”
The Kavi Ohri Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a New York City High School senior with plans to attend college in a music-related major. Applications will be judged based on student essays, with strong consideration given to applicants who are AAPI-identifying, have a history of mentorship with other students or children, and/or are among the first of the family to pursue a post-secondary education.
Kavi Ohri’s 25-year career in music reflected his dual passions for the Creative and Business areas of the industry. His roles included A&R at several major and indie record labels, Business Development with digital start-ups, Music Supervision Licensing, and Live Event Production before joining BMI. As the Senior Director of Business Development and Account Relations on the Digital Licensing team, Ohri established opportunities for BMI songwriters via his connections with digital music services while also developing new digital business opportunities. A graduate of USC as well as UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, Kavi spent his childhood in Singapore where he developed a deep love for all styles of music and regularly explored this passion in his adopted hometown of New York City, a place he loved and where multitudes of people loved him.
David Levin, BMI’s Senior Vice President of Licensing, will serve as Director of the program in collaboration with Ohri’s widow Cornelia Adams. Donations to the BMI Foundation for the Kavi Ohri Memorial Scholarship are gratefully accepted online at bmifoundation.org/donate.
