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MARIAN ANDERSON AWARD ANNOUNCES GALA PROGRAM
Stars of Stage & Screen, Opera, Broadway and Gospel To Gather on November 17.
Philadelphia, October 13, 2008 – The Marian Anderson Award has announced the artists who will participate in the upcoming Award Gala planned to honor dual Award recipients Maya Angelou and Norman Lear on November 17, 2008, at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. In announcing the program, Award Chair Pamela A. Crawley noted, "All of our Gala evenings are very special but this year we have assembled an amazing groups of artists. It’s our 10th anniversary and 2008 marks the first time we are presenting two Awards in a single year. This year’s Gala is also a heart felt thank you to Governor Edward G. Rendell as founder of the Award and for his longtime support. To begin, I am very excited to announce that the critically acclaimed actress, CCH Pounder, known for her extensive film, television and stage work and also for her Emmy nominated performance as Captain Claudette Wyms on the FX television series, The Shield, will host this year’s Gala. Ms. Pounder is deeply involved in international humanitarian efforts. She is a Founding Board Member of Artists for a New South Africa
and a Board Member of the African Millennium Foundation. We are thrilled to have her with us as this year’s host. Our inaugural Award recipient Harry Belafonte will participate and The Philadelphia Orchestra will perform with Maestro Thomas Wilkins who is a great favorite with our audiences. The Orchestra will also be joined by the exciting young opera star Nicole Cabell, winner of the 2005 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition and another guest star with the Orchestra will be the Broadway legend and Tony Award winning song and dance man, Ben Vereen. 2007 double Grammy winner Kirk Franklin, one of Gospel music’s current super stars will perform with a full gospel choir as the finale of the musical portion of the program. This year for the first time the Award Gala will include spoken word artists Steve Connell and Sekou "that Misfit". Maya Angelou and Norman Lear are both big fans of Steve Connell and Sekou so we are very excited to have them participate in the tribute. As in previous years, the multi-media Gala will feature special video presentations on the remarkable careers of this year’s prize recipients. It promises to be an amazing evening. Tickets for the Marian Anderson Award Gala can be purchased by calling Ticket Philadelphia at 215 893-1999 or by going to The Philadelphia Orchestra web site, www.philorch.org.
MARIAN ANDERSON AWARD
The Marian Anderson Award sponsored by Wachovia honors artists whose leadership on behalf of a humanitarian cause(s) or issue benefits society. Previous recipients include Richard Gere (2007), Sidney Poitier (2006), Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis (2005), Oprah Winfrey (2003), Danny Glover (2002), Quincy Jones (2001), Elizabeth Taylor (2000), Gregory Peck (1999), and Harry Belafonte, (1998). No award was given in 2004.
Created in 1998, the Award is named for the great Philadelphian and American singer Marian Anderson, and is produced and administered under the direction of J. Patrick Moran. Since its inception, the Award program has provided more than $450,000 in free public programs, residencies, commissions, and grants to young artists. American Airlines is the official hotel of the Marian Anderson Award and Sofitel Philadelphia is the official hotel of the Marian Anderson Award.
MARIAN ANDERSON
Marian Anderson, the most celebrated contralto of the 20th century, was born in Philadelphia on February 27, 1897, to an African-American family of modest means. Recognized for her extraordinary musical talent, as well as her generosity and commitment to others, Ms. Anderson was a master of repertoire across operatic, recital, and American traditional genres. Throughout her musical career, she played an incalculably vital role in the acceptance of African-American musicians in classical musical and in other previously segregated performing arts genre.
In 1957 Ms. Anderson was appointed by the U.S. Department of State to serve as a Special Envoy to the Far East, and the following year President Dwight D. Eisenhower named her to the post of delegate to the General Assembly of the United Nations. She sang at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961; in 1963 President Lyndon B. Johnson bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom upon her. On her 75th birthday, in 1974, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution ordering a special gold medal minted in her honor. On April 8, 1993, Marian Anderson died at the age of 96 in Portland, Oregon.
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