Stars Come Out, Raise $74,000 at 2017 CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS in Howard County

On Saturday, March 25, nearly 475 business and arts leaders were on hand for the Howard County Arts Council's 20th Annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County.

Held at Howard Community College's Peter and Elizabeth Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center in Columbia, this year's benefit gala netted approximately $74,000, with an additional $65,650 in donated goods and services in support of the arts in Howard County. Since 1998, more than $1.4 million has been raised through Celebration of the Arts!

In honor of Columbia's 50th birthday, Padraic M. Kennedy, the first and longest serving president of the Columbia Association (1972-1998), was the Honorary Chair for the Celebration. Richard W. Story, Senior Vice President, Community Relations and Government Affairs, and Business Development Liaison for Howard Bank, reprised his role as Event Emcee.

Commemorating twenty years of the Celebration of the Arts, the Rising Star Competition featured six previous winners vying for the title of Rising 'All-Star'. After enjoying six Rising Star performances, the audience selected vocalist Sola Fadiran as the 2017 Rising All-Star and recipient of a $5,000 professional development award for his masterful rendition of "This is the Moment" from Jekyll and Hyde. The other amazing finalists who performed at the Celebration were Samantha McEwen Deininger, Musical Theatre (2012 Rising Star winner); Mark Dubac, Clarinet (2005); Mark Edwards, Classical Guitar (2016); Alexander X. Francis, Piano (2008); and Maggie Kudirka, Contemporary Ballet (2013). Tao-Chang Yu, Violin (2007), was unable to attend due to an illness.

The 2016 Howie Awards were presented for outstanding leadership in the arts in Howard County. The recipients were: Yifei Gan for Outstanding Artist, Laurie Basham for Outstanding Arts Educator, and M&T Bank for Outstanding Community Supporter of the Arts. A special Legacy in the Arts award was also presented to Howard Community College.

Reception entertainment included vocalist Lisa Pastella, accompanied by Tiffany Underwood Holmes; musicians from The Columbia Orchestra, under the direction of Jason Love; and roving characters in costume from Drama Learning Center's Teen Professional Company.

Guest performers featured on stage were the Young Columbians, Full Circle Dance Company, Lawrence B. Munsey, and accompanist Ross Scott Rawlings on the piano.

Sixteen of the county's finest restaurants and caterers provided food for the gala and competed for Best Display. Stanford Grill received first place honors; Grille 620 finished in second place, and Absolutely Perfect Catering was third. The silent auction featured 90 local artists, who contributed 123 works of art, and 70 works of art were sold!

Each year, proceeds from the Celebration support grants to local arts organizations and schools (grades K-12), scholarships for emerging artists, and programs in the arts. The Arts Council salutes all of the board and committee members, sponsors, guests, artists and volunteers who made the event such an overwhelming success.

For more information, call 410-313-ARTS (2787) or visit the Arts Council website: hocoarts.org.

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