Laurelyn Dossett will be honored for her contributions to the arts at the United Arts Council's 50th Anniversary bash on Feb. 9.
Press release after the jump.
Piedmont Sensation Laurelyn Dossett To Be Honored At United Arts Council's Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GREENSBORO, N.C. - January 17, 2012 - On February 9th, the United Arts Council of Greater Greensboro will commemorate 50 years of service and support to the arts at a special downtown celebration, recognizing many who have contributed to the success of the organization and Greensboro's vibrant arts community - including singer/songwriter Laurelyn Dossett - who will be honored this year for her contributions to the arts and receive the Betty Cone Medal of Arts Award. The Arts Council will also honor Secretary Linda Carlilse from the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources and Executive Director Mary Regan from the North Carolina Arts Council. The evening will close with a special version of Gershwin's 1924 original, Rhapsody in Blue, performed by members of the Greensboro Symphony under the direction of Associate Conductor/pianist Nate Beversluis.
Dossett may be best known locally for her work with Polecat Creek and original compositions for Triad Stage's "Beautiful Star" and "Bloody Blackbeard" shows, among others. Her new work, "THE GATHERING: A WINTER'S TALE IN SIX SONGS" was commissioned by the North Carolina Symphony and premiered with Rhiannon Giddens, Mike Compton, Joe Newberry, and the Concert Singers of Cary on November 25 and 26, 2011. The accompanying recording received rave reviews including three stars from the Los Angeles Times who said, "They bring a breath of fresh, pine-scented air to an intensely crowded field." Dossett, who has called the Piedmont and Greensboro her home for more than twenty years, is one of the most sought-after voices in creative collaborations. She was the 2010 recipient of the NC Arts Council Fellowship for songwriting. The UAC's Betty Cone Medal of Arts Award was created by the Arts Council to memorialize the tremendous efforts of Greensboro's own Betty Cone to foster and grow arts and culture in the Greensboro Community. The Award honors Dossett who has achieved clear excellence in the discipline of music.
"What a privilege to host this celebration and honor our community's artistic assets as we commemorate our golden anniversary," said UAC President and CEO, Thomas Philion. "Greensboro is a hotbed of the arts. Laurelyn joins the ranks of other renowned Greensboro artists like Jim Gallucci who has also received the Betty Cone Medal of Arts Award. It's going to be a great event and launch to an incredible next fifty years."
The Arts Council was incorporated in 1960, opened for business in the Chamber of Commerce offices in 1962, and in 1968 moved to the Banner House on North Elm Street. The growing Council moved to the historic Sternberger House on Summit Avenue in 1972 with help from the Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation. From creating a public-private partnership building the Greensboro Cultural Center, now home to the UAC, to producing the decade-long City Stage festival through the nineties to saving the historic Carolina Theatre until it became independent in 2006, the Council has and continues to play an instrumental role in the life of Greensboro's creative economy through four grant programs for nonprofit arts organizations, artists and teachers and the new 17 Days arts festival. Since 2000 alone, the Council has awarded more than $7.5 million in grants to arts organizations and projects - for many, the UAC is the largest single source of support available - and played a vital role in Greensboro's economic development and quality of life.
"We're just getting started," said UAC Board Chair April Harris. "We are laying the groundwork for new initiatives that will grow and support arts and culture in Greensboro. Our 50th Anniversary Celebration will lay the foundation for the new Half-Century Fund to augment the United Arts Fund and later this spring, we'll be launching a new crowd-funding mechanism. The United Arts Council is gaining momentum and on the forefront of growing our creative economy."
The UAC's 50th Anniversary Celebration is scheduled for Thursday, February 9, 2012 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm at the Elm Street Center in downtown Greensboro. Tickets are $125 per person and available at the organization's website (UACarts.org) or by phone at 336-373-7523, ext. 242.
Celebrating 50 years, the United Arts Council is Greensboro's largest single source of financial support for its creative community -- the only umbrella arts resource funding arts and culture, from internationally recognized programs, community arts projects, and art-in-education initiatives to mission support -- with a high priority on access to the arts across all cultures, ages, and economic backgrounds. Visit www.uacARTS.org for more information.
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