The Peoria Symphony Guild is the recipient of the Public and Community Service Award from the Illinois Alliance for Arts Education. The Guild was recognized by the IAAE at ceremonies held at the Executive Mansion in Springfield on March 14th.
The following is an excerpt from the presentation:
Peoria Symphony Guild: One of the Guild’s major and most far-reaching programs is the series of Student Concerts (performed by the Peoria Symphony Orchestra) that was launched in 1954. To date, this live concert experience has been presented to an audience of 375,341 students grades 4 through 12, within a 100-mile radius of Peoria. For many students, it is their first and only exposure to the kind of music that is neither rap, nor rock, nor country nor top 40.
The Peoria Symphony Guild’s trail blazing puppet show has brought a remarkable show-biz music appreciation event to 5-9 year olds in a record setting 42 year run. Every year one of three productions, Hansel and Gretel, Peter and the Wolf and Peer Gynt is offered to kindergarten through grade three in the tri-county area.
Two other Guild-sponsored programs center on more mature young people. One is the Young Artist’s Competition, the winner of which performs with the orchestra at the annual Student Concerts and the other is the Master Class presented whenever possible by artists who are here as soloists with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra. The Guild is to be commended for the gifts they provide for so many young people in and around Peoria.
Accepting for the Peoria Symphony Guild at the award ceremonies were John Day, President, Sandy Hattermann, Past President and Ray Williams, Treasurer.
As part of Arts Education Week held in March, the Illinois Alliance for Arts Education recognizes outstanding service to the field of arts education. IAAE Awards are presented in the following categories: Artist, Arts Educator, Arts Exemplar, IAAE Organization, Industry, Public/Community Service, School Administration and Schools of Distinction in Arts Education.
The IAAE is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, or scientific purposes. The organization provides leadership development through conferences, publications and resource materials for arts educators, classroom teachers, artists as well as community representatives in the areas of curriculum and assessment.