Nominations are now being accepted for the third annual Music Educator of the Year Award sponsored by the Canton Symphony Orchestra (CSO). The award will be presented by CSO Music Director Gerhardt Zimmermann at the March 2, 2018 MasterWorks concert.
The award process was developed by the CSO Board of Trustees Education Committee after studying similar awards conferred by other orchestras and with input from respected music educators in the region. “We are thrilled that the response, energy, and numbers are growing each year with respect to the CSO’s Educator of the Year Award,” notes Gail Martino, Chair of the CSO’s Education Committee. “With more music teachers, students, and school administrators submitting nominations and attending the celebration, it is clear that the appreciation for all those dedicated to teaching music runs deep.” The purpose of the annual award is to promote a greater understanding of and appreciation for music education as well as to honor those individuals who are making a real difference in our community through their dedication to music education.
Nominees must be licensed Music Educators in a public, private or parochial school classroom setting in Grades K-12, in the region served by the Stark County Educational Service Center. Educators from the fields of General Music, Instrumental Music, Vocal Music, Composition and Music Technology are eligible. The honored Music Educator will be selected from a field of ten finalists chosen by a panel of qualified judges from the community. All nominees will be recognized at the MasterWorks concert and a pre-concert celebration. Former recipients of the award are not eligible to win in consecutive years.
Anyone can nominate a music educator for the award. Nomination forms are available through the Stark County Educational Service Center (email Tom Piccari at tom.piccari@email.sparcc.org), on the Canton Symphony Orchestra website (www.cantonsymphony.org/music-educator-year) and at the Canton Symphony Orchestra administrative offices at the Zimmermann Symphony Center at 2331 17thStreet NW, Canton. Nominations must be returned to the Canton Symphony Orchestra by December 14, 2018.
Founded in 1937, the Canton Symphony Orchestra is a fully professional ensemble and organization dedicated to performing concerts that enrich, educate and entertain residents of Stark County and beyond. The orchestra performs classical, holiday, casual, and a variety of educational programs in Umstattd Performing Arts Hall, adjacent to the Zimmermann Symphony Center at 2323 17th Street NW, Canton, Ohio, as well as other venues in Stark County. For more information, please visit www.cantonsymphony.org or call (330)452-2094. Administrative offices are located at the Zimmermann Symphony Center 2331 17th Street NW, Canton OH 44708.