Gabriel Hightower is our 2020 Rising Star!
Our 23rd annual – and very first virtual – Celebration of the Arts was a wonderful evening! Guests enjoyed superb performances by our talented Rising Star finalists, heard inspiring words from our Howie Award honorees, and bid on and won beautiful artwork created by local artists in our online Art Auction.
After viewing nine stellar performances – either during the event stream or on-demand – Celebration guests had the difficult task of choosing their favorite performer. The ballots were cast, and the votes were tabulated and verified against the access codes assigned to ticket holders. On August 31st Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced live via Zoom that cellist Gabriel Hightower had won $5,000 and the title of 2020 Rising Star for his accomplished and exhilarating performance of “Elfentanz Opus 39” by David Popper. Congratulations to Gabriel and to all of our amazing finalists!
During the announcement, Dr. Ball noted that the Rising Star Competition is one of his favorites because “it perfectly encapsulates not just who we are but who we can be.” He added that “during these challenging times of the global pandemic, the financial crisis, and the intersection of an important conversation around race and equality, having the arts help us open our eyes and our mind and keep the fires of hope kindled in our hearts is more important than ever.”
Another highlight of the Celebration is the presentation of the Howie Awards, honoring individuals and businesses who have helped make Howard County a place where the arts and artists can thrive. The Howie honorees for 2019 were Dr. Hsien-Ann Meng, Outstanding Artist; Donna Pidel, Outstanding Arts Educator; and The Howard Hughes Corporation, Outstanding Business Supporter of the Arts. A special Legacy in the Arts Award was also presented to Thomas Sankey.
In other Celebration news, the winner of our raffle basket, filled with prizes graciously donated by local businesses and organizations and valued at almost $4,000, is Joanne Heiligman. Congratulations, Joanne!
We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s gala a big success – from our Celebration committee members, to our generous sponsors and food vendors, to our auction artists and art collectors, to the volunteers who signed up to volunteer at our cancelled in-person event – we simply couldn’t do it without you! We greatly appreciate your support and we hope to see all of you again – in person – next year!