Stars Shine at Celebration of the Arts in Howard County

On Saturday, March 19, nearly 450 business and arts leaders were on hand for the Howard County Arts Council’s 19th Annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County Gala. Held at Howard Community College’s Peter and Elizabeth Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center in Columbia, this year's benefit gala raised $106,000, 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 highlight of the evening was the 2016 Rising Star competition. After enjoying performances by ten talented Rising Star finalists, the audience selected classical guitarist Mark Edwards as the 2016 Rising Star winner and recipient of a $5,000 professional development award for his moving interpretation of Andrew York's Sunburst. The other amazing finalists who performed at the Celebration were Monica Albizo (Musical Theatre), Crystal Freeman (Musical Theatre), Joshua Hughes (Musical Theatre), Jenny Lehtonen (Flute), Esther Oh (Classical Voice), Cody Quattlebaum (Classical Voice), Elizabeth Rayca (Musical Theatre), Luke Spence (Classical Trumpet), and Shing Ann Yeh (Cello).

The 2015 Howie Awards were presented for outstanding leadership in the arts in Howard County. The recipients were: Maureen Berry for Outstanding Artist, Pamela Land for Outstanding Arts Educator, and Pixel Workshop for Outstanding Community Supporter of the Arts.

Reception entertainment included classical guitarist Bruce Casteel; vocalist and 2012 Rising Star winner Samantha McEwen Deininger, accompanied by pianist Stephen Deininger; and roving characters in costume from Drama Learning Center's Teen Professional Company.

Guest performers featured on stage were Full Circle Dance Company and accompanist Ross Scott Rawlings on the piano.

Seventeen 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; Stanford Grill finished in second place, and Putting on the Ritz Catering was third. The silent auction featured 88 local artists, who contributed 122 works of art, and 81 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.

Image (courtesy of Lee Waxman): Classical guitarist Mark Edwards accepts the title of 2016 Rising Star