Inside Arts September/October 2009 Ovations Re: Members Section

Neil A. Barclay

Neil A. Barclay is the new chief executive officer and executive producer of the National Black Arts Festival. He comes to NBAF from the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, where he served as president and chief executive officer.

Katherine G. Farley

Katherine G. Farley has been named chair-designate of Lincoln Center. She will succeed Frank A. Bennack Jr., who will step down as chairman in June 2010 after five years of service. Farley will remain a senior managing director at Tishman Speyer and chair of the Lincoln Center Development Project. She has been a member of Lincoln Center's board since 2003, and a vice chair since 2005.

The American Dance Festival has awarded the 2009 Balasaraswati/Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching to Carolyn Adams, Ruth Andrien and Sharon Kinney. The award honors teachers who have made extraordinary contributions to the field of modern dance. Adams is on the faculty of the Juilliard School and is co-founder of the American Dance Legacy Institute. Andrien danced with the Paul Taylor Dance Company from 1974 to 1983. She currently directs the Paul Taylor Dance Project at ADF. Kinney is a dancer, choreographer, teacher and filmmaker who also began her professional dance career with Paul Taylor Dance Company and has served on the faculties of Virginia Commonwealth University, California State University-Long Beach, UCLA, Ohio State University and New York University.

Dale Chihuly

Seattle Symphony Orchestra has appointed Dale Chihuly its inaugural artist in association. The partnership coincides with the release of Seattle Symphony's recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 8, Symphony of A Thousand, featuring Chihuly's monoprint Mahler's Eighth Sister as the cover art.

OPERA America has extended the contract of president and chief executive officer Marc A. Scorca through 2016. In addition, the board elected two new members: Gregory C. Swinehart, U.S. and North American managing partner of Deloitte's Forensic and Dispute Services practice, and Darren K. Woods, general director of Fort Worth Opera.

Creative Capital, which marked its 10-year anniversary in May, has received a $15 million matching grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The American Music Center presented the following awards in May: Founders Award, Gunther Schuller; AMC Letter of Distinction, Albany Records, La Monte Young; New Music Educator Award, New World Symphony.

Juilliard String Quartet

Nick Eanet will join the Juilliard String Quartet as its new first violinist in autumn 2009. A wrist injury delayed his debut. Eanet succeeds Joel Smirnoff, who will become president of the Cleveland Institute of Music.

The International Society for the Performing Arts has launched a redesigned Web site at www.ispa.org.

PCA Great Performances of Portland, Maine, has changed its name to Portland Ovations.

David Commanday

David Commanday has been appointed artistic director of the New Jersey Youth Symphony in New Providence, N.J. Commanday most recently served as music director at the Peoria Symphony Orchestra.

Jonathan Pell

The Dallas Opera has promoted Jonathan Pell to serve as its artistic director, a position last held by Maestro Nicola Rescigno, one of the company's co-founders. Pell previously served as the organization's director of artistic administration.

Laura Dunaway

Laura Dunaway has joined Alliance Artist Management as booking associate, with a territorial focus on the Midwestern states and Canada. She previously worked with ICM Artists and, most recently, Vantage Artists Management.

H2O Artist Agency has a new Web address, www.h2oaa.com, and e-mail address, booking@h2oaa.com. All mailing information and phone numbers remain the same.

Ticketmaster has appointed Marla Ostroff to the newly created position of executive vice president, National Accounts for Ticketmaster in New York.

Eric Lariviere

Eric Lariviere is the new manager of the Markham Theatre for the Performing Arts in Greater Toronto. He recently served as president and chief executive officer of the Daytona Beach International Festival.

Merce Cunningham in June received the third annual Jacob's Pillow Dance Award, which honors outstanding visionary artists and carries a cash prize of $25,000.

Maria Guralnik will join the faculty of the State University of New York-Purchase in the fall. She comes to SUNY-Purchase from the Van Cliburn Foundation and Competition.

Jacob Yarrow

Jacob Yarrow has been named programming director for the University of Iowa Hancher Auditorium. He succeeds artistic director Judith Hurtig, who retired in June after 23 years. Yarrow comes to Hancher from Garth Newel Music Center in Virginia, where he served as executive director.

Sheila Smith

Americans for the Arts presented several awards at its June convention in Seattle: Victoria L. Hamilton, executive director of the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, received the Selina Roberts Ottum Award for Arts Leadership; Bruce W. Davis, executive director of Arts Council Silicon Valley, received the Michael Newton Award, which recognizes leadership of a united arts fund; Randy Engstrom, founding director of the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in Seattle, received the Emerging Leader Award; environmental artist Buster Simpson received the Public Art Network award; and Sheila Smith, executive director of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, received the Alene Valkanas State Arts Advocacy Award.

Lisa Bury in June joined the Florida Grand Opera as director of development. She most recently served as senior director of development of the Arizona Opera. Arts Presenters congratulates colleagues who are celebrating significant anniversaries this year: Lincoln Center at 50, Creative Capital at 10.

We mourn the loss of two key figures in the performing arts world: George MacPherson, a longtime theater manager and executive producer who managed many tours, including Hello, Dolly! starring Yvonne DeCarlo, passed away in June. He was 78. Gerald E. Myers, philosopher-in-residence at the American Dance Festival, passed away in February. He was 85.