Guest Performers Announced for Howard County Arts Council's 21st Annual Celebration of the Arts Gala

The Howard County Arts Council is pleased to announce the guest performers for the 21st annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County gala. Featured this year are: Celeste Jones and accompanist Douglas Lawler. You can catch them, along with the ten finalists in the Arts Council's Rising Star Competition, at the Celebration gala on March 24, 2018 at 8 p.m. Emcee for the event is Myron "Mo" Dutterer, a pillar of the Howard County theatre community and recipient of the 2003 Howie Award for Outstanding Arts Educator.

Celeste Jones is a professional and seasoned actor with the following stage credits: Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill (Rep Stage); Nessa in District Merchants (Folger Theatre); Dove and Others in Conference of the Birds (Folger Theatre); Daisy/Nunkie in Gleam (Baltimore Center Stage); Nia in In the Red and Brown Water (Pillsbury/Guthrie Theatre); Estrella in Life's a Dream (Ten Thousand Things Theatre); Sophie in Ruined (Mixed Blood Theatre); and TiMoune in Once on This Island (Ten Thousand Things Theatre). Her training includes Children's Theatre Company Performing Apprentice, British American Drama Academy, and Howard University.

Douglas Lawler has been accompanying singers in theater for over thirty years. He is a three-time nominee for the Helen Hayes Award in Music Direction and has recently performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Signature Theatre, Olney Theatre, Toby's Dinner Theatre, and the Kennedy Center pre-Broadway productions of Ragtime, Master Class, Follies, Side Show, and Gigi. He is also a regular guest artist with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra where he has performed with a number of major artists and national tours. As a musical theatre educator, he is currently a faculty member at the University of Maryland and the Community College of Baltimore County.

The Celebration is a multi-faceted signature event, showcasing and promoting the arts and raising funds for Howard County artists and arts organizations. In addition to the main stage performance, the evening also features a reception from 6-8 p.m. with a Silent Auction of work by local artists and delectable edibles from area restaurants and caterers. Reception entertainment will feature Howard Community College's Small Jazz Group and musicians from The Columbia Orchestra under the musical direction of Jason Love.

The Celebration will take place in Columbia at Howard Community College's Peter and Elizabeth Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center. Information and tickets are available online at hocoarts.org or by phone at 410-313-2787.

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