I remember when I was a sophomore in high school. One of the tops in the state in musical theater and theater performance, I was selected to attend the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts. It was a five-week summer academy for gifted high school students in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and it was a life-changing experience.
Photo by Pedro Portal.
The school was hosted that year at my father's alma mater, Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., of which I could only attribute to fate that I was accepted to the prestigious scholarship "camp."
I studied under some theater luminaries and it was definitely a training ground for my entry into Emerson College in Boston. (Unfortunately, PGSA was defunded about seven years ago.)
I can imagine how the National YoungArts students are feeling this week, meeting other talented kids their age with the same hopes and dreams. Working with mentors who are tops in their fields. Yes, it's National YoungArts Week in Miami.
The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison to identify and nurture the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary, design and performing arts, and assist them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development.
Photographer: Jason Koerner
Joe Serafini from 2016 YoungArts Theater.
The program is an application-based award for emerging artists ages 15 to 18 or in grades 10 to 12 from across the United States. Selected through a blind adjudication process, YoungArts winners receive valuable support, including financial awards of up to $10,000, professional development and educational experiences working with renowned mentors—such as Debbie Allen, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rebecca Walker, Plácido Domingo, Frank Gehry, Jeff Koons, Wynton Marsalis, Salman Rushdie and Carrie Mae Weems—and performance and exhibition opportunities at some of the nation’s leading cultural institutions, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), The Museum of Modern Art (New York) and New World Center (Miami). Additionally, YoungArts winners are eligible for nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students who exemplify academic and artistic excellence. Pretty cool, to say the least.
YoungArts alumni who have gone on to become leading professionals include actresses Viola Davis, Anna Gunn, Zuzanna Szadkowski and Kerry Washington; Broadway stars Raúl Esparza, Billy Porter, Andrew Rannells and Tony Yazbeck; recording artists Josh Groban, Judith Hill and Chris Young; Metropolitan Opera star Eric Owens; musicians Terence Blanchard, Gerald Clayton, Jennifer Koh and Elizabeth Roe; choreographers Camille A. Brown and Desmond Richardson; visual artists Daniel Arsham and Hernan Bas; internationally acclaimed multimedia artist Doug Aitken; New York Times bestselling author Sam Lipsyte; and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Doug Blush.
YoungArts Jewel Box. Photo by Greg Clark.
During the intensive, week-long and all-inclusive program, 167 artists across 10 disciplines participate in master classes and workshops with internationally recognized leaders, including YoungArts Legacy Master Teachers artistic director, choreographer and dancer Bill T. Jones, and celebrated photographer Sylvia Plachy; American painter Will Cotton; Academy Award-winning director Doug Blush (1984 Winner in Cinematic Arts); legendary saxophonist and composer Jimmy Heath; Grammy-nominated rapper John Forte; and jewelry designer Paris Kain, among others.
This is a chance for Miami audiences to get in on the ground floor and see some of these promising artists. There are programs all week that are open to the public. Throughout National YoungArts Week, audiences can experience the work of the next generation of artists through performances in voice, jazz, theater, dance and classical music, as well as film screenings at New World Center, writers’ readings in the YoungArts Jewel Box, and a visual arts, photography and design exhibition in the YoungArts Gallery.
Public performances include:
- Monday, Jan. 9, Classical, Jazz and Pop Voice Performance, 8 p.m., New World Center, 500 17th St., Miami Beach.
- Tuesday, Jan. 10, Theater and Jazz Instrumental Performance, 8 p.m., New World Center, 500 17th St., Miami Beach.
- Wednesday, Jan. 11, Dance Performance and Cinematic Art Screenings, 8 p.m., New World Center, 500 17th St., Miami Beach.
- Thursday, Jan. 12, Classical Music Concert, 8:30 p.m., New World Center, 500 17th St., Miami Beach.
- Friday, Jan. 13, Exhibition of Works by YoungArts Winners, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., National Young Arts Foundation, 2100 Biscayne Boulevard. On view through Jan. 27.
- Friday, Jan. 13, Writers' Readings and Design Exhibition, 6 to 7 p.m.,; 7:30 to 9 p.m., Visual Arts, Design and Photography Exhibition Opening, National Young Art Foundation, 2100 Biscayne Boulevard.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.youngarts.org/yaw.
On Saturday, Jan. 14, the National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) will host its largest annual fundraiser, the Backyard Ball performance and gala to the YoungArts Campus to applaud the 2017 YoungArts winners. The event will honor jazz pianist Jason Moran (1993 YoungArts Winner in Jazz) as this year’s Arison Alumni Award recipient, and choreographer Jessica Lang as the Arison Award Honoree for their vital contributions and commitment to the arts.
Photographer: Jason Koerner
Alex Greenlee from 2016 YoungArts Dance.
The ball is presented by Italian luxury brand Max Mara, who continues to reinforce their ongoing commitment to supporting the arts, especially education focused, as this is their third consecutive year as a partner. The evening will be hosted by Dr. Kira and Mr. Neil Flanzraich, emceed by comedian and actress Amanda Seales (1999 YoungArts Winner in Theater), and will feature an elegant black-tie reception and seated dinner.
Throughout the night, a series of performance vignettes directed by Tony Award-nominated actor, singer and dancer and 1997 YoungArtsWinner in Theater Tony Yazbeck will be presented, featuring the following YoungArts alumni: Melinda Sullivan (2005 YoungArts Winner in Dance/Tap), Isai Jess Muñoz (1997 YoungArts Winner in Voice & Musical Theater), Daniel Winshall (2016 YoungArts Winner in Jazz), Pascal Le Beouf (2004 YoungArts Winner in Jazz), Evan Sherman (2011 YoungArts Winner in Jazz), Bri Ray (2016 YoungArts Winner in Voice/Singer/Songwriter and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), Mariella Haubs (2014 YoungArts Winner in Music/Violin) and Madison Hicks (2013 YoungArts Winner in Dance/Modern).
In the YoungArts Gallery, an exhibition of visual art, design and photography by 2017 YoungArts winners and curated by Pérez Art Museum Miami Director Franklin Sirmans will be on view.
Tickets for the gala are priced at $100 in advance / $125 at the door (taxes, fees extra) and can be purchased at www.backyardbash2017.eventbrite.com.
