Festival Blog
Folk festival chief sings happy tune with award
Bob Clark, Calgary Herald, September 30
Rozsa prizes given for management of arts projects
Three major Alberta arts management awards totalling $97,000 were handed out on Monday in Calgary.
The
Rozsa Award for Excellence in Arts Management, honouring outstanding
administration in the provincial arts community, went to the general
manager of the Calgary Folk Music Festival, Les Siemieniuk.
The
award, which was presented to Siemieniuk at a special reception held in
the Epcor Centre's Jack Singer Lobby, is valued at $51,000. It will be
shared by Siemieniuk and the folk festival.
The prize was created in 2002 to honour the long-standing philanthropy of Ted and Lola Rozsa.
"It
took me by surprise," says Siemieniuk, who has managed the business end
of the flourishing four-day summer event -- one of Canada's largest and
most successful annual folk festivals -- since 2000.
"It's very
flattering, and an acknowledgement of the organization and all the
staff, board and volunteers who made it what it is."
Siemieniuk was among seven nominees for Excellence in Arts Management Award.
"Every
year, it seems the nominees are more and more deserving and the jury
has a tougher choice to make," says Rozsa Foundation president, Mary
Rozsa de Coquet.
Two new Rozsa awards, formally inaugurated this year, were handed out on Monday as well.
The
Rozsa Education Award, recognizing outstanding achievement in audience
development through education, and/or professional artist development
in the context of annual performance or exhibition, went to Murray
Kilgour, executive director of Rosebud Theatre.
The Rozsa
Innovation Award, given in recognition of outstanding innovation in
exceeding at least one of the seven arts management awards criteria,
went to Bob Davis, principal of the School of Alberta Ballet.
Both awards are worth $23,000 each, again comprised of individual and organizational benefits -- the latter provided by Haskayne School of Business, Deloitte and Touche, and the Institute of Corporate Directors.
