YoungArts Kicks Off 2017 Miami Regional Program Tonight

The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) recently announced details for its 2017 regional programs, including a new long-term institutional partnership with the Center for the Art of Performance at University of California Los Angeles (CAP UCLA) that represents YoungArts' deepening roots in the area, and further expands the organization's resources and reach on the West Coast.

Modeled after National YoungArts Week, the organization's signature program held annually in Miami, YoungArts' regional programs offer life-changing experiences, guidance and support to YoungArts Winners nationwide through interdisciplinary workshops, seminars and master classes with renowned leaders in their fields.

This year, 691 emerging artists (ages 15-18 or grades 10-12) from 42 states were selected as YoungArts Winners for their outstanding work and accomplishments across the literary, visual, design and performing arts. Regional programs are open to Winners from all award levels-Finalist, Honorable Mention and Merit-and will take place in Miami, Los Angeles and New York in February, March and April, respectively, with opportunities to engage with local audiences in their communities.

Each YoungArts regional program provides a platform for participants to not only connect, collaborate and learn from their peers, but also from distinguished YoungArts alumni and creative luminaries-from the incomparable Tony award-winning choreographer Garth Fagan to the prolific and award-winning American theatre and opera director Anne Bogart, and author and award-winning journalist Jeff Chang. In addition, each week participants will showcase their talents through public performances, exhibitions and readings at world-class arts institutions in each area to further prepare them for the next stage of their careers.

"YoungArts' regional programs bring together some of the nation's most valuable cultural and educational institutions to support our nation's next generation of artists," said Carolina García Jayaram, President and CEO of the National YoungArts Foundation. "We are especially proud to announce a new partnership with the CAP UCLA, which makes real the vision to expand our reach across the country, and provide many more aspiring artists with the collaborative and career-building experiences that define YoungArts."

In Miami, the public will have the opportunity to experience a jazz performance directed by YoungArts alumnus and internationally renowned pianist Emmet Cohen (2009 Winner in Jazz); Writers' readings led by Joan Morgan; a visual arts, photography and design exhibition curated by Liz Shannon, Assistant Curator, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens; and a theater, dance, voice and classical music performance directed by three time Tony Award-winning actor, singer and dancer Hilton Battle with musical direction by Grammy nominee Wally Minko. Events will take place at the YoungArts Campus and Miami Theater Center.

Presented in partnership with CAP UCLA, this year's Los Angeles public offerings will include a jazz instrumental performance directed by the distinguished Dr. Ron McCurdy, which will also feature writers' readings led by Joan Morgan; a classical music performance directed by celebrated cellist Jeffery Zeigler; a multidisciplinary performance directed by award-winning dancer and choreographer John Heginbotham; and a visual arts exhibition curated by John Tain, Assistant Curator, Modern & Contemporary Collections, Getty Research Institute. As part of the new collaboration with CAP UCLA, YoungArts Los Angeles master classes will also take place on campus.

In New York City, audiences will enjoy a multidisciplinary performance directed by YoungArts alumnus and Grammy nominee Michael McElroy (1985 Winner in Musical Theater); a jazz program directed by alumnus Adam Larson (2009 Winner in Jazz); a classical music concert directed by alumnus and acclaimed pianist, Elizabeth Joy Roe (2000 Winner in Classical Music); writers' readings also led by Joan Morgan; and a visual arts, photography and design exhibition.

To learn more, the YoungArts regional programs schedule follows below and can be found online at www.youngarts.org/regional-programs. Additional information will be announced in the coming weeks.

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2017 SCHEDULE OF YOUNGARTS' REGIONAL PROGRAMS:

YoungArts Miami
February 21 - 26, 2017

Visual Arts, Photography and Design Exhibition Opening, Jazz Performance, Film Screenings, and Writers' Readings
Friday, February 24, 2017
YoungArts Campus | 2100 Biscayne Blvd
7 PM | Visual arts, photography and design exhibition opening, curated by Liz Shannon
8:30 PM | Jazz performance, film screening and writers' reading directed by Emmet Cohen and Joan Morgan

Theater, Dance, Voice and Classical Music Performance
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Miami Theater Center | 9806 NE 2nd Ave
8 PM | Directed by Tony Award-winning actor, singer and dancer Hilton Battle with Musical Direction by Wally Minko

YoungArts Los Angeles
March 28 - April 2, 2017

Jazz Instrumental Performance and Writers' Readings
Thursday, March 30, 2017
UCLA Schoenberg Hall, 445 Charles E Young Dr E, Los Angeles, CA 90095
8 PM | Directed by Dr. Ron McCurdy and Joan Morgan

Classical Music Performance
Friday, March 31, 2017
UCLA Schoenberg Hall, 445 Charles E Young Dr E, Los Angeles, CA 90095
8 PM | Directed by Jeffrey Ziegler

Dance, Theater and Voice Performance
Saturday, April 1, 2017
UCLA Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90095
8 PM | Directed by John Heginbotham, Marika Hughes and Daniel Pettrow

Visual Arts Exhibition Opening
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Building Bridges Art Exchange, 2525 Michigan Avenue, Unit F2, Santa Monica, CA 90404
2 PM | Curated by John Tain

YoungArts New York
April 25 - 30, 2017

Visual Arts Exhibition Opening
Friday, April 28, 2017
Location to be Announced
8 PM

Dance, Theater, Voice and Jazz Performance
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Baryshnikov Arts Center, 450 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018
8 PM | Directed by Michael McElroy with jazz direction by Adam Larson

Classical Music Performance and Writers' Readings
Sunday, April 20, 2017
Baryshnikov Arts Center, 450 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018
2 PM | Directed by Elizabeth Joy Roe and Joan Morgan

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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. Through a wide range of annual programs, regular performances, and partnerships with some of the nation's leading cultural institutions, YoungArts aspires to create a strong community of alumni and a platform for a lifetime of encouragement, opportunity and support.

YoungArts' signature program is an application-based award for emerging artists ages 15 - 18 or in grades 10 - 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.

YoungArts Winners become part of a thousands-strong alumni network of artists, which offers them additional professional opportunities throughout their careers. YoungArts alumni who have gone on to become leading professionals in their fields 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.

For more information, visit youngarts.org, facebook.com/YoungArtsFoundation or
twitter.com/YoungArts. To watch a brief video about YoungArts, click here.

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