WAA AWARDS

Celebrating leadership, creativity, service, and mentorship

WAA works to nurture and celebrate leadership; encourage best practices that stimulate the field; promote volunteerism and service to WAA; and strengthen and celebrate WAA as a community of peers and professionals. The WAA Awards celebrate and recognize members and organizations who have advanced the field and the association.

2023 WAA AWARDS

HELP US RECOGNIZE & CELEBRATE YOUR COLLEAGUES

Since 1985, the annual WAA Awards have celebrated and recognized colleagues and organizations who have advanced the performing arts field and strengthened the WAA community — those who enrich, inspire, and energize our work and our industry.  

2023 WAA Awards will be presented at this year's Annual Luncheon, Thursday, September 7 at the WAA Annual Conference in Seattle, WA.

 

AWARD CATEGORIES & PAST RECIPIENTS

Leadership Award

Honoring extraordinary vision, distinguished leadership, and artistic achievement.

The Leadership Award was established by the WAA Board of Directors in 1985 as The Distinguished Service Award. In 1992, the board presented the first award to Jerry Willis and rechristened the award in his honor. Jerry Willis (1938-1997) co-founded the organization now known as Western Arts Alliance. For 27 years, he managed Caltech Public Events and was a driving force for presenting in the West and nationally.

Leadership Award Recipients

2022 Leah Rosenthal | La Jolla Music Society

2021 Matt McNally | Las Vegas-Clark County Library

2019 Phil Esparza | CSU Monterey Bay World Theater

2018 Aaron Egigian | Segerstrom Center for the Arts

2017 Leila Getz | Vancouver Recital Society

2016 Erin Palmer

2015 Celesta Billeci | UC Santa Barbara

2014 Michael Reed | ASU GAMMAGE

2013 Randall Kline | SFJAZZ

2012 Folklore Productions International

2011 White Bird

2010 Merce Cunningham Dance Company

2009 Julia Glawe | IMG Artists

2008 David Lieberman | David Lieberman Artists' Representatives

2007 Michael & Theresa Holden | Holden & Associates

2006 Jude Narita | Jude Narita/No Surrender Productions

2005 Hoyt "Toby" Mattox | Houston Fine Arts Society

2004 Eli Ashley | Broadway Center for the Performing Arts

2003 Robert Cole | Cal Performances

2002 Matt Krashan | UW World Series

2001 Kenneth Foster | UA Presents

2000 The James Irvine Foundation

1999 Patrick W. Kopp | California State University, Chico

1998 Charles Hamlen | Classical Action

1997 Michael Alexander | Grand Performances

1996 Ruth A. Felt | San Francisco Performances

1995 Kathy Hotchner | Scottsdale Center for the Arts

1994 Michael Blachly | UCLA

1993 Ira Perman | Anchorage Concert Association

1992 Jerry Willis

 

Mentoring Award

Recognizing excellence in mentoring and a commitment to the professional advancement of the western performing arts community.

The Mentoring Award was originally established in memory of Darlene Neel, the 26-year Company Manager of the Bella Lewitzky Dance Company. Ms. Neel (1941-1999) was known to be a generous mentor, a principled manager, an innovator, and — above all — a good friend.

Mentoring Award Recipients

2022 | Christopher K. Morgan | Christopher K. Morgan & Artists

2021 Heena Patel | MELA Arts Connect

2019 Larry Kosson | Kosson Talent

2018 David Wannen | New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players

2017 Rick Farrell | ICM Partners

2016 Ken Waldman

2015 David Palmer | Soka University of America

2014 Susan Martin | Lakewood Cultural Center

2013 Ally R. Haynes-Hamblen

2012 Rachel Cohen

2011 Todd Walker

2010 Dan Dewayne

2009 Mary Beth Treen

2008 Robin Hodgkin

2007 Steve Lerian

2006 Liz Silverstein

 

Tim Wilson Distinguished Service Award

Honoring members who have made an outstanding impact on the performing arts touring and presenting field in the West.

The Distinguished Service Award, WAA’s first, recognizes leaders in the touring and presenting field.

WAA resurrected the Distinguished Service Award in 2013 to recognize David Fischer, a colleague whose leadership and service defies categorization.

The award was renamed in 2022 in honor of longstanding Executive Director, Tim Wilson, upon his departure from WAA.

Tim Wilson Distinguished Service Award Recipients

2022 Tim Wilson

2019 Karen Fischer

2017 Michael Alexander

2015 Michael Blachly

2013 David Fischer

1992 Repertory Dance Theater

1991 Ingrid Kidd; Western States Arts Federation

1990 Sharon Morgan; Sheldon Soffer; Jerry Yoshitomi

1989 Thom Hill; Marda Kern; Kronos Quartet; Janet Oetinger

1987 Bella Lewitzky

1986 Mariedi Anders; Susie Farr; Bob Kay; Bill Martin; Mountain Bell Foundation

1985 Arnie Malina; Jerry Willis

Service Award

Recognizing exceptional volunteer service to Western Arts Alliance, its members, and the field.

The Service Award was established in 1992 to honor Betty Connors, a co-founder of Western Arts Alliance, and this award's premier recipient. Mrs. Connors (1917 - 2009) led the Committee for Arts and Lectures (later, Cal Performances) at the University of California, Berkeley, for 35 years. When Mrs. Connors was hired in 1945, it was the first salaried position devoted exclusively to the management of concerts at UC Berkeley (and likely the first at any public university in the West).

Service Award Recipients

2022 Charlotte Lee | Primo Artists | Performing Arts Managers and Agents Coalition 

2019 Lynn Fisher | Frontera Arts LLC

2018 Carolyn Deuel | Artcore, Inc.

2017 Renae Williams Niles | USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance

2016 Jerry Ross | Harmony Artists

2015 Bruce Labadie

2014 Ivan Sygoda | Pentacle

2013 Rick Farrell | ICM Partners

2012 Romana Jaroff | IMG Artists

2011 Aaron Egigian | Segerstrom Center for the Arts

2010 Katherine Miller | Kamstar Artist Management

2009 Martin Wollesen | ArtPower! at UC San Diego

2008 Irene Namkung | Traditional Arts Services

2007 Terry Yagura | Arts for Schools

2006 Cathy Pruzan | Cathy Pruzan Artist Representative

2005 Canadian Consulate General

2004 Mary Beth Treen | Mary Beth Treen Artist Management

2003 Sue Endrizzi | California Artist Management

2002 Nina Black | Golden Bough

2001 Robert Bluestone | Woven Harmony

2000 Ingrid Kidd Goldfarb | Classical Auction West

1999 Cedric D. Reverand II | Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie

1997 Geoffrey English | Saddleback College

1996 Colleen Jennings-Roggensack | ASU

1995 Lois Wagner | Stanford Lively Arts

1994 Edsel Matthews | Koncepts Culture Gallery

1993 Marc Cianaca | University of California Santa Cruz

 1992 Betty Connors

 

Vanguard Award

Recognizing inspirational projects, new work, and ground‐breaking initiatives.

The Vanguard Award was established in 2012 by the Awards Committee and WAA Board to celebrate the creativity, invention, and discovery — pillars of innovation that are the bread and butter of the performing arts—that advance our work, organizations, and field. This is the only award that is selected by the members themselves from a group of finalists vetted by the Awards Committee.

Vanguard Award Recipients

2012 ArtPower! at UC San Diego for The Loft Performance Lounge & Wine Bar

The inaugural Vanguard Award honored ArtPower! at UC San Diego for their development of The Loft Performance Lounge & Wine Bar, created "to transform the context of the delivery of the performing arts" and to involve the university's student population on every level — from patron or performer or programmer to administrator.

 

Emeritus Award

Given to honor members upon their retirement for exemplary and extensive service both to WAA and the field.

Emeritus Award Recipients

2022 Marc Baylin; Steve Lerian 

2021 Sandy Robertson

2018 David Palmer

2016 Stephen Seifert

2015 Douglas C. Rankin

2011 Matthew Krashan

2010 Peter Wilt

2009 Robert Cole; Kathy Hotchner; Mary Beth Treen

2008 Mariedi Anders; Geoff English; Kevin O'Connor

2007 Terry Yagura; Barry Bonifas

2005 Lois Wagner

2004 Edsel Matthews (posthumous)

2003 Dr. Robert Wilkins; Thom Hill

2002 Lynne Peterson; Michael Putnam (posthumous)

2001 Wayne Shilkret (posthumous)

2000 Joann Muneta; Susie Dowler

1999 James B. Crow (posthumous); Bella Lewitzky; Janet Oetinger; Sheldon Soffer

1998 Barbara Furstenberg; Tom Lehman

1996 Bernard "Jack" Jackson (posthumous)

1995 Robert Haag

1994 Betty Connors; Betty Tesman

1993 Herb Fox; Jim Wockenfuss

1992 Olive McDuffee; Phyllis Warshaw