The Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is proud to present the 2012 Overture Awards Scholarship Competition – the largest locally run arts scholarship competition in the country. The Overture Awards annually provides a $2,500 scholarship to six area high school students for education and training expenses, with 18 finalists each winning a $500 scholarship.
The Overture Awards Finals Competition and Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 3, 2012 at the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater at 1:00 PM. Winners will be announced immediately following the competition.
This year, 522 students were nominated by their schools to compete in one of six artistic disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art or Vocal Music. The Overture Awards was developed to recognize, encourage and reward excellence in the arts among Tri-state students in grades 9-12. It also provides students an opportunity to share their talents and interests among their peers in a supportive environment outside of their individual schools. There are three levels of competition: Regional, Semi-Final and Final.
The Overture Awards Regional Competitions were held in early January at Northern Kentucky University, The University of Cincinnati – Blue Ash College, Saint Ursula Academy, The Aronoff Center for the Arts and Xavier University. The top 20 percent of competitors in each discipline advanced to the Semi-Finals, held at the Aronoff Center on January 21. Twenty-four finalists (four in each discipline) then compete in the Finals Competition at the Aronoff Center.
Now in its 16th year, The Overture Awards was launched in 1996 by the Cinergy Foundation (now Duke Energy) and Leadership Cincinnati (a Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce program). The program is funded and administered by the Cincinnati Arts Association, which operates and manages the Aronoff Center and Music Hall. The Overture Awards also relies on hundreds of volunteers from the community who help raise funds, adjudicate and manage the competitions, and nurture the program.
Overture Awards Program Sponsors: Carey Digital; Citi; The Eleanora C.U. Alms Trust, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee Scholarship Sponsors: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation; Stock Yards Bank & Trust; The William O. Purdy, Jr. Foundation; Summerfair Cincinnati; Western & Southern Financial. Competition Sponsors: Buddy Roger’s Music; Northern Kentucky University; St. Ursula Academy; The University of Cincinnati – Blue Ash College; Xavier University.
The 2012 Overture Awards Finalists
CREATIVE WRITING
- Hannalee Goldman – Sycamore High School, grade 11
- Olivia Morris – Beechwood High School, grade 12
- Emma Wahl – Mount Notre Dame High School, grade 12
- Gina Wei – William Mason High School, grade 12
DANCE
- Danielle Betscher – Just Off Broadway / homeschool, grade 11
- Drew Lovejoy – McGing Irish Dancers / Ohio Connections Academy, grade 9
- Ryan McCreary – Northern Cincinnati Youth Ballet / homeschool, grade 10
- Jacob Thoman – Planet Dance / School for Creative and Performing Arts, grade 9
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
- Kevin Bao – Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, grade 10
- Thomas Heidenreich – CCM Prep / Walnut Hills High School, grade 11
- Mariko Shimasaki – CCM Prep / Kenton Ridge High School, grade 11
- Tracy Wong – Sycamore High School, grade 11
THEATER
- Shannon Beam – Strakowski Song Studio / St. Ursula Academy, grade 12
- Emily Kissela – Sycamore High School, grade 11
- Max Meyers – Gina Cerimele-Mechley Acting Studio / Wyoming High School, grade 12
- JoEllen Pellman – Marilyn Zelcer Studio / Walnut Hills High School, grade 10
VISUAL ART
- Paloma Ianes – School for Creative and Performing Arts, grade 12
- Betsy Toadvine – Kings High School, grade 12
- Nicole Volpenhein – Ursuline Academy, grade 12
- Elaine Yung – Turpin High School, grade 12
VOCAL MUSIC
- Christian Betts – Walnut Hills High School, grade 12
- Tyler Blincoe – Villa Madonna Academy, grade 12
- Holly Reckers – Mother of Mercy High School, grade 12
- Megan Terlau – Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, grade 12
Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of two of the Tri-state’s finest performing arts venues – the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall – and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves upwards of 700,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached more than 1.2 million students.
CAA is proud to be a member of Association of Performing Arts Presenters, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, Greater Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau, Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce, and Performing Arts Center Consortium.
CALENDAR INFORMATION
WHAT: 2012 Overture Awards – Finals Competition / Awards Ceremony
WHERE: Aronoff Center – Jarson-Kaplan Theater
WHEN: Saturday, March 3, 2012 – 1:00 PM
TICKETS: $15
INFO: The 2012 Overture Awards Scholarship Competition – the largest locally run arts scholarship competition in the country – provides a $2,500 scholarship to six area high school students for education and training expenses with 18 finalists each winning a $500 scholarship. Students compete in one of six artistic disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art or Vocal Music. The Overture Awards was developed to recognize, encourage and reward excellence in the arts among Tri-state students in grades 9-12.
TICKET INFORMATION – on sale now!
This intensive playwriting course is for people interested in developing and fine-tuning a play script. Over the course of eight weeks, students will read and discuss a myrid of plays, attend and critique a local production and complete a series of writing exercises which will result in a final project. The workshop will culminate with a staged reading of all the students’ final projects at a local theatre.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 