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An Affair of the Arts - Performance and Gala
A celebration of young artists from across the nation. A gathering of hundreds of local and national patrons of the arts. A tribute to legendary artists who have enriched our lives. NFAA’s 2007 Affair of the Arts was all this and more.
The event took place January 13, 2007 at the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts’ John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall in Miami. The annual event, presented by SunTrust Bank and hosted by NFAA, was the culmination of youngARTS Week, a gathering of the country’s most promising student artists, selected by NFAA following a rigorous review process. The gala was chaired by community leaders Alice and James Rasmussen, chairman, president and chief executive officer of SunTrust Bank, South Florida.
Highlights of the evening included the presentation of the NFAA Arison Award to jazz legend Dave Brubeck for his contribution to the education of young musicians. The Critically acclaimed novelist Allegra Goodman, a 1985 youngARTS winner in Writing and a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, received the NFAA Alumni Award. The award sponsors are Gibson Guitar and Baldwin Piano, respectively.
Following a cocktail reception and silent auction, guests took their seats inside the concert hall for a sit-down dinner and performance by an All-Star jazz band of youngARTS alumni, conducted by internationally recognized jazz educator Justin DiCioccio and produced by Larry Rosen, NFAA Board of Trustee. Joining them onstage were guest Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist Sammy Figueroa and 1994 youngARTS winner and tap dancer Brill Barrett. Other notables in attendance were actor and author Anthony Rapp, most known for his role in Rent and Dazed and Confused, and Celeste Holm, fondly remembered for her lead role in Oklahoma!, as well as her Academy Award-winning performance in Gentleman’s Agreement and roles in numerous other Hollywood, television and Broadway classics. Both Rapp and Holm served as panelists and mentors to the finalists throughout youngARTS Week.
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