Stephen Sondheim Awarded 2011 Handel Medallion

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will join Alec Baldwin to present the 2011 Mayor's Awards for Arts and Culture to six individuals and organizations in celebration of their outstanding contributions to New York City's cultural life. The Mayor will also present the Handel Medallion, New York City's highest award for achievement in the arts, to the world-renowned composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim.

The event, to be held at New York City's acclaimed Alice Tully Hall, will feature live performances by leading performing arts organizations, and appearances by special guest artists. The ceremony will take place today.

The Mayor's Awards for Arts and Culture were created in 1976, when the Department of Cultural Affairs was founded, and given annually until 1994. Mayor Bloomberg revived the awards in 2004, with the assistance of the Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission, chaired by Agnes Gund, whose members are a diverse and distinguished group of advocates for the City's non-profit cultural community.

The Awards acknowledge and celebrate the role individual artists, arts educators, cultural organizations, corporations and philanthropists play in the public-private partnerships that sustain the City's creative vitality and economic well-being.

The full list of 2011 awardees includes: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Artistic Director, Baryshnikov Arts Center; Alice Diamond, Arts Advocate; Jimmy Heath, Musician and Educator; Maya Lin, Artist
Ronnie Shuster, Principal, P.S. MO94; Theatre Development Fund; Stephen Sondheim, 2011 NYC Handel Medallion Recipient.