From renowned musicians and educators to a city of about 12,000, this year’s six Governor’s Arts Awards recipients have one thing in common: an outstanding passion for the arts.\nThe prestigious awards will be presented at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Musical Arts Center followed by a celebratory dinner at 8 p.m. at the Bloomington Convention Center.\nAlthough the awards have been handed out every two years since 1973, this is a year of many firsts, said Director of Marketing and Communications of the Indiana Arts Commission Rex A. Van Zant. This is the first year the ceremony will be held outside of Indianapolis, the first time performances will take place, the first time the recipients were nominated and selected entirely online and the first time a dinner will be served post-ceremony.\nAlong with the recipients, it also recognizes Bloomington for the city’s dedication to the arts by hosting the awards. \nVan Zant said there is a great variety of accomplishments among the recipients.\n“Some individuals are very well known, and some are lesser known,” Van Zant said. “The guidelines look for an individual or organization that has made a significant contribution to the arts and have had a significant impact.”\nThe actual award that is given to the honorees changes every year and is made by a selected Indiana artist. This year’s honored artist is Bloomington resident Karen Green Stone of Stone Soup Pottery.\nHer award is a porcelain bowl,\ninspired by the Indiana State \nflower, the peony.\n “I really didn’t expect to be chosen; I knew it was a real long shot,” Green Stone said. “I thought the notice was a rejection letter, so I didn’t even look at it for a while.”\nFrom the chosen recipients to the chosen artist, the awards support and encourage the arts in every form. \n“It should be a really great celebration of the arts,” Van Zant said.\n The following is a list of this year’s recipients: Henry Leck and the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, Menahem Pressler, Fischoff National Chamber Music Association, Lori Efroymson Aguilera, Jamey Aebersold and the City of Jasper. Pressler, Aebersold and Leck and the Indianapolis Children’s Choir will \nbe performing.\nTickets for the ceremony are $15 and can be purchased at the Musical Arts Center. The proceeds go to the IAC Cultural Trust, which supports arts programming and services throughout the state. \n“I would encourage people, if they have never been to a Governor’s Arts Awards ceremony, to attend,” Van Zant said. “It’s a great way to celebrate and support the arts.”
\nMenahem Pressler\nIU Jacobs School of Music distinguished professor
Pressler, who began playing at the age of five, has performed for almost five decades as a chamber musician, soloist and teacher. \n“If you ask me what (my passion) is I can only describe it to you as an inner hunger to make music,” Pressler said. “The hunger has not left. I am still as hungry to make music as I was when I was young.” While the list of his personal accomplishments is lengthy, he has also changed the lives of thousands of students.\n“Teaching is my calling as much as anything is,” he said. “You always want to be loved, you always want to have children; as a teacher, I have so many children. Every one of the students in the school is my child.”
Henry Leck\nDirector and founder of the Indianapolis \nChildren’s Choir
Leck, an IU Jacobs School of Music alumnus, is the choral director and founder of the Indianapolis Children’s Choir and a master of choral techniques and the child’s voice, according to an IAC press release.\nLeck has also created music textbooks and teaching videos that are studied widely throughout the nation. He is being recognized for his outstanding dedication to music. It is through his leadership that the ICC is able to perform regularly at events around the world, such as a recent performance in the Czech Republic, as well as a performance for the Pope at the Vatican in Rome, Italy.
\nJamey Aebersold
Aeborsold, an IU Jacobs School of Music alumnus, is an internationally-renowned saxophonist and an expert on jazz education and improvisation. He has been honored in the International Association of Jazz Educators’ Hall of Fame. \nAeborsold has impacted jazz musicians through his series of more than 100 “Play-a-long” book and CD sets. These sets are designed to help musicians practice improvisations with well-known jazz personalities at home or in the classroom. \nAeborsold has also directed the Summer Jazz Workshops program for 30 years. The workshops unite some of the greatest jazz musicians and jazz students, regardless of their ability, age or experience.
\nThe Fischoff National \nChamber Music Association
Exective Director Ann Divine explained that Fischoff National Chamber Music Association is a national organization in its 35th year. Fischoff’s first duty is to produce a national chamber music competition for both college and high school students. The competition takes place each spring and is the largest among those in the United States. \nAdditionally, Divine said that during the rest of the year they bring back some of those ensembles to conduct educational outreach programs that target about 40 artistically underserved children each year.\n“I think that the reward is validation to us for the work we have been doing for 35 years, and it all started in South Bend,” Divine said. “I really think that’s a major achievement.”
Lori Efroymson Aguilera
Efroymson Aguilera is a prominent arts and community leader from Indianapolis.\nThe IAC press release states that “through her artistic ability, she views architecture as a form of public art.” \nEfroymson Aguilera has served on the boards of the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the Indianapolis Urban Design Oversight initiative. \nBecause of her devotion, Efroymson Aguilers has become an influence in the community. The Efroymson Fund has made major grants to arts-related activities and historic preservation efforts throughout the state.
The City of Jasper
Jasper, located about 80 miles from Bloomington, is being recognized for its community support of the arts. Jasper is the first honoree to receive the award more than once. The city won the award exactly 20 years ago. \nJasper is one of the only cities nationwide that allows the local arts commission to be a department of the city government, Van Zant said. \n“Jasper was nominated on criteria of excellence and service to the state of Indiana,” said Bloomington’s Assistant Economic Development Director for the Arts Miah Michaelsen. “It is really meaningful to recognize an entire community for their devotion to the arts.”
