April 7, 2021 – The Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) announced today the nominees for its APAP Awards. APAP will recognize the nominees and announce the final award recipients at The APAP Honors, as well as celebrate the recipients of the Annual NAPAMA Awards and Halsey & Alice North Award for APAP Board Alumni.
The APAP Honors, a virtual ceremony, will take place on Thursday, May 6, 2021 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. (EDT). The event is free and open-to-the-public. Charitable contributions to support much-needed APAP programs and resources are welcome.
APAP President and CEO Lisa Richards Toney explains the significance of hosting an awards celebration in 2021. “APAP’s work has always been to lift up the field. When much of the performing arts has been devastated, APAP is working hard to support the field during the crisis and through the recovery.”
“Visibility is extremely important for the field and for arts professionals at this time,” Richards Toney continues. “At APAP, we are working to preserve jobs, preserve livelihoods, and preserve the ecosystem that is integral to the cultural and economic fabric of our society. That work is a combination of advocating for federal support, delivering programs and services to build the field back better, and providing membership relief so our people can weather this storm. APAP wants to be here for those hardest hit by the effects of the pandemic, and we take seriously our role to help carry the field forward.”
Celebrity Series Artistic Director Amy Lam says, “We are thrilled and humbled by this nomination, and pleased to be in such good company with many esteemed colleagues in our field. Especially after the many difficulties of the past year, it is vital to lift up the arts and artists, and shine a light on all that we do. APAP’s dedication to supporting the arts community is unparalleled, and we’re thankful for their role in advocating for the sector.”
For decades, the coveted awards have been presented annually as part of the APAP Awards Ceremony, traditionally held at the annual APAP|NYC conference. In 2021, the Awards event---renamed The APAP Honors---is being held virtually on May 6. The APAP Awards celebrate those individuals and organizations that have demonstrated a significant impact on the industry and communities they serve both in the U.S. and abroad.
Richards Toney invites all to attend the event in celebration of the many diverse arts professionals and organizations who are part of the ecosystem that is APAP’s very mission to support.
“As we continue to work to ensure that the performing arts is able to return stronger than ever, we also welcome charitable contributions to APAP, so that we are able to deliver on the services and resources our members have come to rely upon. As a membership organization, our lifeblood is our members and the crisis of the pandemic has shown us that, now, more than ever, our members need us. And, simply put, we are committed to serving them. Support to APAP is deeply appreciated as it helps us to continue helping the field now and into the future.”
The APAP Honors is sponsored by IMG Artists (https://imgartists.com/). Learn more about APAP event sponsorship here: https://www.apap365.org/About/Advertising-and-Sponsorship.
Fifty-three performing arts professionals and organizations were nominated by APAP members for the following awards and represent the breadth and depth of the performing arts presenting, booking and touring field at this moment. “For the first time ever, given so much great work and the important chance to lift up and celebrate the magnanimity of the performing arts field, we are celebrating all of our nominees and featuring as many as possible during the awards program itself,” explains Richards Toney.
Final award recipients will be announced at The APAP Honors on May 6.
THE AWARD OF MERIT FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN THE PERFORMING ARTS
• Ronald K. Brown, Choreographer/Artistic Director, EVIDENCE, a Dance Company
• Rhodnie Désir, Artistic Director/Artist/Choreographer, RD Creations
• Christine Dixon, artist
• Raja Feather Kelly, Founding Artistic Director, the feath3r theory
• Zakir Hussain, tabla player, composer, percussionist, producer, actor
• Yo-Yo Ma, cellist, musician, founder, Silk Road Ensemble
• Christian McBride, bassist, composer, arranger
• Charles Miller, Program Consultant, Mayo Performing Arts Center
• Deborah Nagy, Founder and Director, Les Délices
• Moses Pendleton, choreographer, dancer and the artistic director of MOMIX
• Toshi Reagon, musician, composer, curator and producer
THE SIDNEY R. YATES AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF THE PERFORMING ARTS
• Gail Boyd, President, Gail Boyd Artist Management
• Matthew Covey, Executive Director, Tamizdat
• Creating New Futures: Working Guidelines for Ethics & Equity in Presenting Dance & Performance
• María López De León, President and CEO, National Association of Latino Arts & Cultures (NALAC)
• Nikki Estes, Director, Presenting & Touring, South Arts
• Florida Professional Presenters Consortium, Inc.
• Dayna Frank, President/Co-Founder, NIVA
• Meena Malik, musician, arts consultant, and cultural organizer; Program Manager of Theater, NEFA; API Arts Network of Boston
• Mixedearners.org, Kevin Erickson and Sarah Al Howes, Esquire
• Rev. Moose Marauder, Executive Director/Co-Founder, NIVA
• The Performing Arts Managers & Agents Coalition (PAMAC) Charlotte Lee, Founder
• Jonathan Shmidt Chapman, Executive Director, TYA/USA
• Zeyba Rahman, Senior Program Officer for the Building Bridges Program (DDFIA), Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
• United States Artists, Deana Haggag, President & CEO
• We See You White American Theater
THE WILLIAM DAWSON AWARD FOR PROGRAMMATIC EXCELLENCE AND SUSTAINED ACHIEVEMENT IN PROGRAMMING
• Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Jean-Philippe Malaty, Executive Director, and Tom Mossbrucker, Artistic Director
• Barrington Stage Company, Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director
• W. Lee Bell, Senior Director of Programming, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
• Celebrity Series of Boston, Amy Lam, Artistic Director
• Charleston Gaillard Center, Therese Spaseff, Director of Entertainment and Programming
• Zenetta S. Drew, Executive Director, Dallas Black Dance Theatre
• Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Kathy Ramsberger, President & CEO
• Brooke Horejsi, Assistant Dean for Art & Creative Engagement, Executive Director of UtahPresents
• Kodi Hutchinson, Artistic Producer, JazzYYC
• Lied Center for the Performing Arts, Bill Stephan, Executive Director & Chief Artistic Officer
• William Lockwood, Special Programming Director, McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton University
• Charles Miller, Program Consultant, Mayo Performing Arts Center
• Kristina Newman-Scott, President, BRIC Arts Media
• The Public Theater, Shanta Thake, Associate Artistic Director/ Director of Artistic Programs
• Steven Schmidt, General Manager, Riverside Concerts/City of Rochester (MN) Civic Music Department
• Kathy Schuman, Vice President & Artistic Director, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts
• Roberta Uno, Director, Arts in a Changing America
• Works & Process at the Guggenheim, Caroline Cronson, Producer and Duke Dang, General Manager
THE FAN TAYLOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD FOR EXEMPLARY SERVICE TO THE FIELD OF PROFESSIONAL PRESENTING
• Andre Bouchard, Principal and Founder, Indigenous Performance Productions, a nonprofit company
• Mario Garcia Durham, arts administrator, educator
• María López De León, President and CEO, National Association of Latino Arts & Cultures (NALAC)
• Deana Haggag, President & CEO, United States Artists
• Steve Lerian, Director, Cal Poly Arts
• Charles Miller, Program Consultant, Mayo Performing Arts Center
• Norton Owen, Director of Preservation, Jacob’s Pillow
• Diane Rodriguez, Director, Rodriguez Projects (posthumously)
• Vera Wilson, Founder, Astral Artists, Inc.
APAP is also pleased to announce Olga Garay-English as the 2021 recipient of the Halsey & Alice North Board Alumni Award. Garay-English is currently an independent arts consultant and is Senior Advisor for International Affairs to Fundación Teatro a Mil. The Halsey & Alice North Board Alumni Award is presented to an APAP Board Alum who “has demonstrated in their words and actions the beautiful spirit of generosity and giving, not only on a continuing basis to Association of Performing Arts Professionals, but to the field at large”.
In January, NAPAMA announced winners of its 2021 awards; Kevin Spencer, Self-Represented Artist, Educator and Advocate, Hocus Focus, Inc. will receive the Liz Silverstein Award for Agent-Manager of the Year, and Hollis Ashby, Artistic and Executive Director, Williams Center for the Arts will receive the NAPAMA Award for Presenter of the Year.
About Celebrity Series of Boston
Celebrity Series of Boston was founded in 1938 by pianist and impresario Aaron Richmond. The Celebrity Series has been bringing the very best performers–from orchestras and chamber ensembles, vocal and piano music, to dance companies, jazz, and more–to Boston’s major concert halls for 83 years. The Celebrity Series of Boston believes in the power of excellence and innovation in the performing arts to enrich life experiences, transform lives and build better communities. Through its education initiatives, the Celebrity Series seeks to build a community of Greater Boston where the performing arts are a valued, lifelong, shared experience—on stages, on streets, in neighborhoods–everywhere.
Celebrity Series of Boston is grateful to our 2020-21 Season Sponsors Amy & Joshua Boger and to the many individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies whose support helps fulfill our mission to present performing artists who inspire and enrich our community. Individual and Institutional supporters include the Barr Foundation through its ArtsAmplified initiative, Leslie & Howard Appleby, Stephanie L. Brown Foundation, The Catered Affair, Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation, D.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp., First Republic Bank, Foley & Lardner LLP, Liberty Mutual Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Outside the Box: A Production of the Boston Arts Summer Institute, Cynthia & John S. Reed Foundation, Royal Little Family Foundation, Stifler Family Foundation, Anonymous, and many others.
About The APAP Honors and APAP Awards
For more information about The APAP Honors and APAP Awards, including past award recipients, visit https://www.apap365.org/Programs/APAP-Honors-2021.
About APAP, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals
APAP, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, based in Washington, D.C., is the national service, advocacy and membership organization dedicated to developing and supporting a robust, performing arts presenting field and the professionals who work within it. Our 1,700 national and international members represent leading performing arts centers, municipal and university performance facilities, nonprofit performing arts centers, culturally specific organizations, foreign governments, as well as artist agencies, managers, touring companies, and national consulting practices that serve the field, and a growing roster of self-presenting artists. APAP works to effect change through advocacy, professional development, resource sharing and civic engagement. APAP is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization governed by a volunteer board of directors and led by
President and CEO Lisa Richards Toney (https://www.apap365.org/About/Who-We-Are/Staff/Lisa-Richards-Toney). In addition to presenting the annual APAP|NYC conference—the world's leading gathering and marketplace for the performing arts—APAP continues to be the industry's leading resource, knowledge and networking destination for the advancement of performing arts presenting, booking and touring. For more information, visit https://www.apap365.org.
About NAPAMA
NAPAMA, the North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents, promotes the best interests of professionals engaged in the touring of the performing arts through building and sharing knowledge, advocacy, leadership, and innovation. Committed to the core values of equity, diversity and inclusion, NAPAMA provides members with a platform for networking, communication, information exchange, resource identification, trends in the field, research, and best practices.
About The North Group, Inc.
Halsey and Alice North headed The North Group Inc. from 1987 to 2018, providing an integrated approach to planning, board development, and fundraising for nonprofit performing arts centers and historic theaters across the country. They have been active in APAP as board members, teachers, volunteers, board emeritus, honorary lifetime members, fundraisers, and donors. Halsey was honored with the Fan Taylor Award in 1988. Halsey and Alice were the first recipients of the Halsey & Alice North Award in 2013 in recognition of their commitment to APAP and their leadership in the field.
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