PPAC (finally) announces the 2011 award nominees

A little more information seemed to leak everyday about the Pikes Peak Arts Council's award nomination. Through Facebook, that is.

They were delayed, PPAC president Jay Miller said, because two juries were late in turning in their results.

Now, the official release.

Classical music, which is dominated by heavy hitters like the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, offered a couple of surprises. Pianist Kelly Zeurcher saw two mentions: as a soloist in Ravel's "Piano Concerto in G Major," and then, when the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs was nominated in Small Ensembles for the same work. Chamber Choir Abendmusik was nominated for a November performance of Morton Lauridsen's "Sure on this Shining Night."

The dance jury, one of the tardy two that hung up this announcement, shaved the already limited offerings from two to one with a general Excellence in Dance award, which tapped some of the most highly regarded dancer/choregraphers in the city.

Poetry and pop music? All the usual suspects.

The theater jury tapped quite a few dark horses: Relative newcomer Ben Bonenfant and Elizabeth Kahn Lanning got the nod for acting categories as did Benjamin Pratt for sound and "The Six Women Playwriting Festival" for best production.

In visual arts, the Fine Arts Center's ambitious and sprawling "Conflict Resolution" scored a nomination in the most perplexing and malleable category of the awards, CIA (Creative, Intriguing and Astonishing). Modbo/SPQR and the WhatIf Festival also drew notice.

Under the radar picks in visual arts also include Range Gallery owner Kathleen McFadden and sculptor Scott Johnson for Artist of the Year and Elizabeth Szabo for her role as curator of the Business of Art Center in Manitou Springs.

The dates for the ceremony have not yet been announced.

Note: Mobley-Martinez was a member of the theater and visual arts juries this year.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
-- Wayne and Mary Mashburn

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Large Ensemble
-- Colorado Springs Philharmonic: Shostakovich, "Symphony No 5"
-- Colorado Springs Philharmonic: Berlioz, "Symphony Fantastique"
-- Opera Theatre of the Rockies: Rossini, "Barber of Seville"

Small Ensemble
-- Chamber Choir Abendmusik: "Sure on this Shining Night"
-- Chamber Orchestra of the Springs: Ravel, "Piano Concerto in G Major," Kelly Zeurcher, pianist 
-- Chamber Orchestra of the Springs and Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble: "Voices of Light"

Solo/Duo
-- Angelina Gadeliya, From Schumann to Schoenberg
-- Jennifer de Dominici, Rossini, "Barber of Seville"
-- Kelly Zuercher, Ravel, "Piano Concerto in G Major" with the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs

DANCE

Excellence in Dance 
-- Camille Loftin, Ashley Pintier, and Kellie Palmblad, "Pieces"
-- Patrizia Herminjard, "The 12 Steps of Physical Intimacy" 
-- Tiffany Tinsley Weeks, "Burdens"

 
POETRY

Excellence in Performance
-- Julianza K.Shavin
-- Miguel Huerta
-- Phil Ginsburg

Literary Excellence
-- David Mason
-- Eve Jones
-- Janice Gould

POPULAR MUSIC

Outstanding Group
-- Grass It Up
-- Haunted Windchimes
-- The Low-Fi Cowboys

Outstanding Solo/Duo 
-- Big Jim Adam & John Stilwagen
-- Grant Sabin
-- John-Alex Mason

 
THEATER

Outstanding Performance by an Actor
-- Benjamin Bonenfant, "The Seagull," TheatreWorks
-- Cory Moosman, "The Producers" and "1776," Fine Arts Center
-- Sammy Gleason, "Waiting for Godot" (Star Bar Players), "The Producers" and "1776" (FAC)

Outstanding Performance by an Actress
-- Amy Brooks, "The Merry Wives of Windsor" (TheatreWorks), "The Women" (FAC) and "Four Play" (Manitou Art Theatre)
-- Jane Fromme, "The Seagull" (TheatreWorks) and "Art Dog" (MAT)
-- Elizabeth Kahn Lanning, "Bug" and "Why Torture is Wrong and the People Who Love Them" (Star Bar Players)

Outstanding Production
-- "Waiting for Godot," Star Bar Players, director Beth Clements Mosley
-- "Six Women Playwriting Festival," Manitou Art Theatre, directors Birgitta DePree, Warren Epstein, Eve Tilley, Leanne Carrouth, Lisa Siebert, Tracy Mobley-Martinez
-- "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," FAC, director Cory Moosman,

Technical Excellence
-- Benjamin Pratt, sound, Manitou Art Theatre
-- Mary Ripper Baker, choreography, FAC
-- Roy Ballard, set design, TheatreWorks

VISUAL ARTS

Artist of the Year
-- Kathleen McFadden, photographer
-- Scott Johnson, sculptor
-- Sean O'Meallie, sculptor

CIA (Creative, Intriguing, and Astonishing)
-- "Conflict Resolution," FAC
-- Modbo/SPQR, co-owners Lauren and Brett Andrus
-- What If Festival, Imagination Celebration

Excellence in Curatorship
-- Blake Milteer, FAC
-- Elizabeth Szabo, Business of Art Center
-- Jessica Hunter Larsen, I.D.E.A. Space, Colorado College