The award is co-sponsored by the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts, the Arts Council of the Valley, and JMU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.
The annual award recognizes individuals and organizations in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley that enhance and strengthen the cultural community by promoting and advocating for artistic excellence.
“The Heifetz International Music Institute is an incredible example of an arts organization that has impacted thousands of students for over 25 years. They deserve this recognition for their exemplary work,” said Regan Byrne, executive director at the Forbes Center.
The Heifetz International Music Institute is a non-profit organization committed to the artistic growth and career development of the most gifted young musicians in the world. Part of their mission is to help musicians convey the emotion of the music they’re performing, explore their full creative potential and express their individuality through the performance and communication training method.
Mary Baldwin and the Music Institute recently renewed their agreement for Heifetz to conduct its world-renowned summer music program and its Festival of Concerts through at least 2027. Their program brings in thousands of visitors each summer to the City of Staunton providing an opportunity for young musicians to grow as an artist and develop their careers.
“It is a true honor for the Heifetz Institute to receive this recognition. The Institute is proud to be part of the rich cultural tapestry of the Shenandoah Valley and to bear witness to the blossoming of the region’s artistic impact and reputation. We have the privilege of welcoming so many truly gifted young artists into a thrilling arena of discovery, and it is a joy to guide their efforts to become complete and expressive artists over their six weeks in Staunton. We see how they carry that growth with them beyond their summer experience here – not only on to other concert stages but also as leaders in whatever fields they pursue,” said Benjamin K Roe, president and CEO of The Heifetz International Music Institute.
The Circle of Excellence in the Arts Award is given annually in recognition of an Augusta or Rockingham County, Harrisonburg, Staunton, or Waynesboro visual or performing artist, arts administrator, or arts educator whose significant and superior accomplishments in the arts have improved the cultural vitality of the Valley.
The Institute was founded in 1996 by renowned international concert violinist and teacher, Daniel Heifetz, who during the first year welcomed 20 violin students from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Mexico and Taiwan. Within the next 12 years, Heifetz Institute’s reputation grew exponentially. They brought in faculty offering instruction in multiple areas, expanded their number of international students, and attracted the eyes and ears of major schools like Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory.
Since 2012, the Heifetz Institute has called the City of Staunton and Mary Baldwin University it’s home, where they continually expand partnerships and initiatives.
In 2020, the Institute became the first major summer festival during COVID-19 to pivot to an online-only experience, enrolling 100 students across 14 countries and nine time zones.
The following pandemic year, the Institute launched the Heifetz Ensemble in Residence program in partnership with Augusta Health; in 2022 expanded its retail gift shop operation into a full-fledged music store after two local music businesses were shuttered by the pandemic and 2022-2023 introduced “Heifetz Hear & Now,” a year-round concert series featuring leading Heifetz faculty and alumni.
This summer, the Institute will hold its 2023 Festival of Concerts where faculty, special guests and students will be featured in more than 50 concerts in venues across Staunton and the Valley.
Past Circle of Excellence in the Arts award winners
- 2022 – Earlynn J. Miller, Harrisonburg
- 2021 – Harrisonburg International Festival, Harrisonburg,
- 2020 – The Shenandoah Valley Choral Society, Harrisonburg
- 2019 – Staunton-Augusta Art Center, Staunton, VA, and Shenandoah Valley Art Center, Waynesboro
- 2018 – Pamela McCray, Shenandoah Civic Dance Company and Staunton Academy of Ballet, Staunton
- 2017 – Dr. Joanne V. Gabbin, Furious Flower Poetry Center, JMU, Harrisonburg
- 2016 – American Shakespeare Center, Staunton
- 2015 – Ken Nafziger, The Bach Festival, Harrisonburg
- 2014 – OASIS Fine Art & Craft, Harrisonburg
- 2013 – Stan Swartz – Harrisonburg High School, Harrisonburg
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Crystal Graham
