Howell Binkley - Lighting DesignerHowell Binkley is a lighting designer with a resume that includes
a long list of Broadway theater and dance production credits and
an equally impressive range of awards. He attended East
Carolina University and spent four and a half years as lighting
supervisor for the Paul Taylor Dance Company. There he met
choreographer David Parsons, with whom he cofounded the
Parsons Dance Company in 1986. Binkley has lit a myriad of hit
Broadway shows; notable among them are Avenue Q and Golda’s
Balcony. He is a five-time winner of the Helen Hayes Award and
in 2006 Howell won the Henry Hewes Design Award, Outer
Critics Circle Award and Tony Award for Jersey Boys. | Godfrey Cheshire - Filmmaker/CriticGodfrey Cheshire is an award-winning film critic as well as the
director, writer and producer of the documentary Moving
Midway, one of last year’s most critically acclaimed films. Raised
in Raleigh, he began writing criticism in the weekly Spectator
Magazine. After moving to New York in 1991, he wrote for
publications including The New York Times, Newsweek, Variety,
The Village Voice and Interview. Moving Midway, which concerns
his family’s ancestral plantation outside Raleigh, was released to
U.S. theaters in autumn, 2008, and on DVD in spring, 2009. He
is currently developing two dramatic movies, one concerning the
South, the other the Middle East. He also writes for Raleigh’s
Metro Magazine. |
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Judy Crane - Visual ArtistJudy Crane has been a full time professional artist, maintaining
a studio at Artspace in downtown Raleigh since 1987. She
works in oil, pastel and watercolor. She has traveled and painted
in “plein air” on location in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and
several areas of the U.S. Her works are on display in her
Artspace studio as well as many galleries and are included in an
extensive number of corporate collections. She has been
commissioned to do paintings for reproduction by IBM, The City
of Raleigh Visitor’s Center, The NC Executive Mansion, The City
of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Dept., Tasteful Magazine, and
the Raleigh Marriott City Center. | Ann Cowperthwaite - SculptorAnn Cowperthwaite is a sculptor and small business owner in
Raleigh. She received an MFA in Sculpture, from Florida State
University, which was preceded by a Fellowship year at the
University of Illinois. She has completed a number of
commissioned pieces in the southeast while teaching design,
drawing and sculpture in several universities. For the past 10
years, she has worked with her husband, Mike Parker, building
Eidolon Designs, Inc., a small company focused on design,
fabrication, finish and installation of fine furniture, architectural
millwork, furniture grade cabinetry, and sculpture. |
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Lope Max Diaz - Visual ArtistLope Max Díaz is an artist and a retired faculty member of the
College of Design at NC State University where he taught Design
Fundamentals and Painting for many years. He exhibits his
paintings with regularity throughout the southeast region of the
country, as well as in Puerto Rico. He has served on numerous
art and design panels, among them: the Raleigh Arts
Commission, the North Carolina Arts Council, the McColl Center
for Visual Art, Charlotte, N.C., Torpedo Factory Art Center,
Alexandria, VA, the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Baltimore, MD,
and the National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, DC. For
his contributions as an artist, educator, and service to the
community, Lope Max Díaz was awarded, in 2003, the Raleigh
Medal of Arts and the Centennial Medal from the University of
Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. | John Fowler - TenorTenor John Fowler has enjoyed an international
career, performing leading roles at major opera
houses including the Metropolitan Opera, San
Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera in Toronto,
Houston Grand Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Boston
Lyric Opera, Opera de Montreal, Wiener
Staatsoper, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Opernhaus
Zurich, Opera de Nice, Theatre du Chatelet Paris,
Hamburgische Staatsoper, Frankfurter Oper, Kolner
Opernhaus, Opera Royal de Wallonie Belgium, Gran
Teatro del Liceo Barcelona, Teatro Real Madrid
and Opera Nacional de Sao Carlos Lisbon Portugal.
Concert appearances have included Puccini's
Petite Messe Solennelle and the Verdi Requiem
with the radio orchestra of Milan, as well as
Mahler's 8th Symphony at Carnegie Hall. Mr.
Fowler was awarded an Emmy for his performances
of Rodolfo in La Boheme at New City Opera's Live
From Lincoln Center series. Mr. Fowler has
served as consultant Artistic Director for the
Opera Company of North Carolina, and is Artistic
Director of the Winthrop Opera Theater. |
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Jay Gates - Director, Contemporary Art MuseumA native of Kansas, Jay Gates graduated with honors in art
history from the College of Wooster and earned his masters
degree two years later from the University of Rochester. In the
years since, he has held leadership positions at several major art
museums including the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas
City), the Seattle Art Museum, The Dallas Museum of Art and The
Phillips Collection (Washington, DC). He is currently serving as
Interim Director at the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh. | Jaki Shelton Green - PoetJaki Shelton Green was selected as the first NC Piedmont
Laureate in 2008 and received the NC Award for Literature in
2003. She is the 2007 recipient of the Sam Ragan Award and a
member of the prestigious North Caroliniana Society. Her
publications include Dead on Arrival, Dead on Arrival and New
Poems, Masks, Conjure Blues, singing a tree into dance, breath
of the song and Blue Opal, a play. In 2005, breath of the song,
was cited as one of two Best Poetry Books of the Year by the
Independent Weekly. She has performed her poetry and taught
workshops extensively throughout the United States, the
Caribbean, Europe, Central and South America. In addition to
her writing, she is an independent consultant specializing in
nonprofit board training, arts and education and the humanities
and she teaches creative writing to marginalized populations. |
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David Hartman - Actor/HostOver the last 35 years David Hartman has produced, written and
hosted scores of TV documentaries for the networks, public
television and cable. His many awards include National News and
Documentary Emmys and the Aviation and Space Writers
Journalism Award. He was the original, and for nearly 12 years,
host of Good Morning America, conducting some 12,000
interviews in more than 5,000 hours of live television. He
currently hosts a series of eleven programs about New York City
on public television and a dozen broadcasts, yearly, of the North
Carolina Symphony In Concert on WUNC Radio. Earlier in his
career he appeared in Broadway musicals and co-starred in 3
successful primetime TV dramas. He is a graduate of Duke
University. | Gabor Kapin - Principal DancerGabor Kapin came to Carolina Ballet from Budapest, Hungary
where, as a student at the Hungarian Dance Academy, he danced
the pas de deux in Flames of Paris and Giselle; and performed in
Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Coppelia at the Hungarian
National Ballet. Upon joining the Carolina Ballet, he quickly rose
to a soloist. He danced in George Balanchine’s Tarantella and
Valse Fantaisie, as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Escamillo in
Carmen and the Cavalier in Nutcracker. In 2002 Robert Weiss
choreographed the role of the Joker in Jeu de Carte on Mr.
Kapin. He also danced “Melancholic” in Balanchine’s The Four
Temperaments during the Balanchine Celebration in 2003. He
returned to Carolina Ballet in fall 2008 as a principal dancer. |
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John Kessel - Science Fiction AuthorJohn Kessel was born in 1950 in Buffalo, New York. He received
a B.A. in English and Physics from the University of Rochester in
1972, an M.A. in English from the University of Kansas in 1974,
and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Kansas in 1981.
Since 1982 he has taught American literature, science fiction,
fantasy, and fiction writing at North Carolina State University.
Kessel’s stories have been reprinted in Germany, France, Spain,
Italy, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Russia, Italy, Great Britain, and
Japan. He became well-known with the novella "Another Orphan"
(a fantasy based on Melville's Moby Dick), which received the
1982 Nebula Award. In 2008, he again earned this prestigious
award for his novelette “Pride and Prometheus.” | Dorianne Laux - PoetDorianne Laux’s fourth book of poems, Facts about the Moon, is
the recipient of the Oregon Book Award and was short-listed for
the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize. Laux is also author of Awake,
What We Carry (finalist for the National Book Critic's Circle
Award), Smoke and Superman: The Chapbook, and co-author of
The Poet's Companion. She’s the recipient of two Best American
Poetry Prizes, a Pushcart Prize, two fellowships from The
National Endowment for the Arts and a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Her work has appeared in the Best of the American Poetry
Review, The Norton Anthology of Contemporary Poetry, Best of
the Net, and many others. Her selected poems, In A Room with a
Rag in My Hand, have been translated into Arabic. She and her
husband, poet Joseph Millar, recently moved to Raleigh where
she joins the faculty at North Carolina State University. |
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Valentina Lisitsa - PianistValentina Lisitsa is a multi-faceted pianist at ease in a vast
repertoire ranging from Bach and Mozart to Shostakovich and
Bernstein. Her orchestral repertory alone includes more than
forty different concerti performed so far. She admits to having a
special affinity to music of Rachmanioff and Beethoven. She is
embarking on an ambitious project of recording all of
Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas – often a lifelong task which was
achieved by a very select few artists. Born in Kiev, Valentina
began playing the piano at the age of three and performed her
first solo recital at age four. She has been greeted by
enthusiastic audiences as she performs in the world’s most
prestigious concert venues. She lives in New Bern, NC with her
partner in married and musical life, Alexei Kuznetsoff and their
four-year old son. | Al McCanless - Musician/PotterAl McCanless began playing fiddle his freshman year at UNC-Ch
in 1964. He graduated with a Pharmacy degree and began
playing in many different groups. He recorded on the first Red
Clay Rambler album and started the New Deal String Band which
earned a recording contract with Sire Records. In 1972, he
teamed up with The Bluegrass Experience which gained a local
and international following. In 1983, Al and his wife Milly began
learning about pottery and opened Dover Pottery on their farm
in Seagrove. A few years later, Al left his pharmacy position and
became a full time potter and musician. He pursues both
passionately to this day and is continually adding new talents
and experiences to his vast artistic repertoire. |
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Will McCanless - Musician/PotterWill McCanless, a second-generation Seagrove potter,
established McCanless Pottery in October 2006. Prior to
opening, Will was trained by his father, Al, and studied ceramics
extensively in China, Malaysia, France, Italy, and Great Britain.
Today, Will produces work infused with his own individual and
ever evolving style including crystalline glazing, hand decorated
stoneware and Seagrove red glaze. He has played an integral
role in the creation and orchestration of the Celebration of
Seagrove Potters, an annual festival which brings the many
potters of Seagrove together to exhibit their work. In addition to
creating pottery, Will enjoys playing traditional Celtic music and
he and his two brothers have recently formed a rock cover band
in which he plays lead guitar. | Jerry Miller - Visual ArtistJerry Miller was born and reared in Sanford and attended Elon
College, Mars Hill College and the NCSU School of Design. Since
the spring of 1974, Miller has been commissioned by historical
societies, county boards, art guilds, civic clubs, colleges and
banks to draw historical buildings in his finely detailed style for
which he has won numerous local and state awards. In most
recent years Miller has directed his talents to the media of
watercolors. He was given the honor of painting an original
watercolor for President Ronald Reagan of the Gates on
Hillsborough Street and Duke Chapel for then Vice President
George H. Bush. In 1986, he was awarded The Orthogonal
Medal by NC State University and was the News and Observer’s
Tar Heel of the Week (April 27, 1997). |
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Ed Paolantonio - Jazz MusicianEd Paolantonio hails from New York City, but now lives in
Durham, NC. Besides earning a B.S. in Music Education from
S.U.N.Y. and an M.M. in performance from U.N.C. Chapel Hill, Ed
studied with world famous jazz pianist, teacher and composer
Lennie Tristano. He has been composing, arranging and
performing jazz professionally since 1971 and has accompanied
many jazz giants including Dizzie Gillespie, Slide Hampton,
Clark Terry, Lee Konitz, Curtis Fuller, Jimmy Heath and Emily
Remler. His "Dedications" and "Dad's Blues" CDs explore
extensive improvisations on both original material and jazz
standards and capture the essence of what jazz is all about. | Sophia Pavlenko - PianistSophia Pavlenko is an extraordinary talent in constant demand
for her abilities as a soloist, ensemble player, accompanist, and
competition judge. A gifted prodigy, Sophia now has over 100
serious compositions to her credit. She has toured extensively
throughout the world and has traveled to all 48 states of the
contiguous U.S. Her presence in Troy, NC has already gained the
Trinity Music Academy (her music conservatory of 300+
students) national and international recognition. Sophia’s
hometown is Kiev where she studied at the renown Lysenko
Conservatory and the Gliere Conservatory. |
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Bob Rankin - Visual ArtistBob Rankin works on developing new and exciting paintings in
his HOUDIO on St. Mary's Street. He is a graduate of the ECU
School of Art and has studied extensively in Europe and
continues to teach art in Italy. He taught art in the Wake County
Public Schools for 30 years and received the North Carolina
Secondary Art Educator of the Year award. Bob is a Raleigh
Medal of Arts award winner and he has been voted “Best in the
Triangle” for Spectator and Metro magazines 9 times. His work
is represented in galleries and collections around the world. He
is the official artist of Raleigh's International Festival and helped
to start Raleigh's Artsplosure. | Peyton Reed - DirectorA native of Raleigh and a graduate of the
University of North
Carolina, Peyton Reed began his career as an
editor at Zaloom-
Mayfield Productions. On the strength of his
award-winning
short "Almost Beat," he began writing for the
company and
directed numerous behind-the-scenes
documentaries.
He
made his feature film directing debut with the
critically praised
box office success "Bring It On.” He has also
directed “Down
with Love,” “The Break-Up” and “Yes Man” and has
acted and
written original songs for his soundtracks. |
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Celia Rivenbark - Author/ColumnistDuplin County native Celia Rivenbark is an award-
winning
newspaper columnist and the author of national
bestsellers
“Bless Your Heart, Tramp,” “We’re Just Like You,
Only Prettier”
and “Stop Dressing Your Six Year Old Like A
Skank,” which was
named Best Title of 2006 by “Entertainment Weekly”
magazine
and was a finalist for the prestigious James
Thurber Award for
Humor. Her fourth book, “Belle Weather: Mostly
Sunny With A
Chance of Scattered Hissy Fits” was a finalist for
the Southern
Independent Booksellers’ Alliance 2008 Nonfiction
Book of the
Year. Celia’s weekly humor column appears in
newspapers
throughout the country. She has appeared on “Good
Morning
America” and “Inside Edition.” She lives in
Wilmington with her
husband and daughter. | J. Mark Scearce - MusicianJ. Mark Scearce has 50 active titles in his
catalogue, including
musical settings of more than 150 texts. His works
for orchestra,
band, chorus, opera, chamber and ballet have been
performed
throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the
Pacific and have
garnered awards in five international music
competitions. He has
earned five advanced degrees in music, philosophy
and religion,
including a doctorate in composition from Indiana
University.
He has been awarded the prestigious 2009
International
Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in Music
Composition and is
currently serving as the Director of NC State’s
Music
Department. |
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Mary Ann Scherr - DesignerMary Ann Scherr’s professional career began as a
cartographer
and illustrator for the Goodyear Aircraft Corp.
She was an
automotive designer at Ford, a games and
children’s book
illustrator, maternity fashion designer, graphic
designer and she
has designed toys and baby furniture. Today, she
designs one-
of-a-kind jewelry and small scale sculptures and
is a Metals
Instructor the NCSU Craft Center. She has
received countless
awards for her work and has lectured and exhibited
throughout
the world. Her art works are in the Permanent
Collections of:
The Vatican (Rome), The Metropolitan Museum of
Art, The
Smithsonian Institution, The Yale Museum,
Goldsmiths Hall
(London), The Renwick National Gallery
(Washington, DC), The
Museum of Art & Design (NYC), The Boston Museum of
Fine Arts
and The Houston Museum of Fine Arts. | Will Scruggs - MusicianWill Scruggs is an accomplished saxophonist,
vocalist and band
leader who, at the age of 28, has already shared
the stage with
Dave Brubeck and toured and recorded with Natalie
Cole. He
attended Enloe High School in Raleigh and became
the first
student ever to graduate from Emory with Highest
Honors in
Jazz Performance. BlueBari Jam, his second CD
with band, The
Jazz Fellowship, has generated national buzz and
critical
acclaim. Although his background is deeply rooted
in jazz,
Scruggs has recently been branching out,
performing with
‘New-Grass’ legend John Cowan and recording
commercially
with Cee-Lo and Dallas Austin. |
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Margaret Severin-Hansen - Principal DancerMargaret Severin-Hansen is a founding member of
Carolina
Ballet. She grew up in Huntington, Long Island
where she studied
dance at the Huntington School of Ballet until she
went to the
School of American Ballet when she was 13. She
also studied for
six weeks with the Royal Danish Ballet. She joined
Carolina Ballet
in 1998 as a member of the corps de ballet and
quickly rose
through the ranks to principal dancer. In January
of this year,
she was one of eight graduates of the School of
American Ballet
personally invited by Peter Martins to perform
with New York
City Ballet dancers in the 75th Anniversary
Celebration of the
school. She danced Tarantella with New York City
Ballet
principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht. | Al Sturgis - ConductorAlfred E. Sturgis is an active and versatile
conductor who serves
as Music Director of the North Carolina Master
Chorale, the
Carolina Ballet, and the Tar River Orchestra.
Sturgis recently
made his Lincoln Center conducting debut as a
guest with the
New York City Ballet. He has conducted orchestral
and opera
performances overseas in France, Bulgaria, and
China. In
recognition of his dynamic leadership of the NC
Master Chorale,
Sturgis was awarded the 1996 Raleigh Medal of
Arts. Dr. Sturgis
holds degrees from the University of South Florida
and the
University of Illinois in Voice Performance, Music
Education, and
Conducting. |
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Hughes Winborne - EditorHughes Winborne, a Broughton High School graduate,
has been
editing films since the early 1990s, making a name
for himself
in a number of independent features, most notably
Billy bob
Thornton’s 1996 Academy Award-winning drama Sling
Blade. In
2006, nominated for the very first time for his
breakthrough
work on Crash, Hughes took home the Oscar for Best
Achievement in film editing. The film also
captured the big
prize, Best Picture. In 2007 he edited The
Pursuit of Happyness
starring Will Smith and The Great Debaters
starring Denzel
Washington. | David Worters - President & CEO, NC SymphonyDavid Worters was recruited to his position at the helm of North
Carolina’s professional orchestra in 1999. He has overseen its
transformation with the opening of Meymandi Concert Hall and
Koka Booth Amphitheatre. Concert offerings in the Triangle
have nearly doubled during his tenure and the Symphony
released the first of two CDS, American Spectrum featuring
Branford Marsalis. A musician himself, Worters sang in college
with the Harvard Glee Club while earning his A.B. in economics. |
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Ira David Wood III - Actor/DirectorIra David Wood III, founder and executive director
of Raleigh's
Theatre in the Park, is a native North Carolinian
and a graduate
of North Carolina School of the Arts. Locally, he
is best known
for his annual stage production of A Christmas
Carol, a Triangle
tradition for 30 consecutive years. David performs
as Scrooge
and directs the production -- for which he also
adapted the
script and composed the original music. David is
the only two-
time recipient of the Medal of Arts award,
presented by the
Raleigh Arts Commission for extraordinary
achievement. |
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