Stars Come Out at Celebration of the Arts in Howard County

On Saturday, March 28, nearly 450 business and arts leaders were on hand for the Arts Council’s 18th Annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County Gala at Howard Community College’s Peter and Elizabeth Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center in Columbia. Presented by Howard Bank, this year’s annual benefit gala raised $101,000, with an additional $61,000 in donated goods and services in support of the arts in Howard County. Since 1998, over $1.3 million has been raised through Celebration of the Arts!

A high point of the evening was the 2015 Rising Star competition. After viewing nine incredibly talented Rising Star finalists, the audience selected vocalist Sola Fadiran as the 2015 Rising Star winner and recipient of a $5,000 professional development award for his heartfelt performance of Make Them Hear You from the musical Ragtime. The other amazing finalists who performed at the Celebration were Kayleigh Decker (Classical Voice), Chih-Jung Hsu (Violin), Thomas Hunter (Piano), Brittany Proia (Pop), Madeline Rodrigue (Contemporary Dance), Kirsten Salpini (Musical Theatre), Robin Steitz (Classical Voice), and Madelyn Wanner (Classical Voice).

The 2014 Howie Awards were presented for outstanding leadership in the arts in Howard County. The recipients were: Peter BarenBregge for Outstanding Artist, Greg English for Outstanding Arts Educator, and Howard Bank for Outstanding Community Supporter of the Arts. A Legacy in the Arts award was also presented posthumously to Yong Ku Ahn.

During the reception guests were entertained by pianist Dustin Merrell and by roving characters in costume from Drama Learning Center’s Teen Professional Company.

Guest performers featured on stage were Hua Sha Chinese Dance Company, vocalist Carole Graham Lehan, and accompanist Ross Scott Rawlings on the piano.

Nineteen of the county’s finest restaurants and caterers provided food for the gala and competed for Best Display. Absolutely Perfect Catering was awarded first place for Best Display; Wegmans finished in second place, and Putting on the Ritz Catering was third. The silent auction featured 92 local artists, who contributed 124 works of art, and 88 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: www.hocoarts.org.