D.C.’s best arts and arts organizations were honored Monday night at the 20th annual Mayor’s Arts Awards. The gala ceremony, which took place at the Kennedy Center, was presented by the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities and hosted by Mayor Anthony Williams and WRC anchor Jim Vance.
Leonard Slatkin (shown at left), music director of the National Symphony Orchestra, was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his imaginative musical programming and commitment to arts education. Former D.C. Councilmember Harold Brazil and Dr. J. Reilly Lewis, music director for the Cathedral Choral Society, were also given special awards for their ongoing commitment to D.C. arts & culture.
Other winners include:
Excellence in an Artistic Discipline – Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Company (contemporary dance) & Washington Ballet Company
Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education – DC Arts & Humanities Education Collaborative
Outstanding Emerging Artist – Nejla Yatkin (dancer/choreographer)
Excellence in Service to the Arts – Northeast Performing Arts Group (arts education program)
Superintendent’s Arts Teacher Award – Karen Daniels (Fillmore Arts Center) & Udoh Opiotennione (Oak Hill Academy)
You can see the full list of this year’s finalists here.
