NSAL Star Maker Awards Showcased in Sun-Sentinel Society
The National Society of Arts & Letters Florida East Coast Chapter recently had their Star Maker Awards at Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club in Boca Raton. This event showcased many of the organization's scholarship recipients and honored the supporters who fund the nonprofit organization.
NSAL aims to discover talented young people at the beginning of their careers and provides scholarships and competitions in art, dance, drama, literature, music and musical theater, and works to advance their careers and creative opportunities.
"It was truly a dazzling event," stated event chair Kim Champion. "We were thrilled to award scholarships to college and advanced degree students in multiple categories including woodwinds, strings, visual arts, piano and theater. This prestigious recognition is a coveted achievement, and the funds will help our winners advance their studies and careers."
Past and present scholarship recipients from Lynn Conservatory of Music and the FAU School of Music delighted guests with a splendid repertoire of classical and Broadway favorites.
Thanks to CBS 12 for having Shari Upbin and Avery Sommers on as guests to discuss the Musical Theatre Competition.
Thanks to the Hubbard Radio Family, WRMF, WIRK and many more, for interviewing Kim Champion about NSAL
Thanks to Boca Raton Observer for featuring our upcoming Star Maker Awards.
CBS News featured NSAL Board Member, Shari Upbin and local drama winner Darius J. Manuel as they prepare for the National Drama Competition. In this Mentoring Matters segement the duo share their stories, the need for mentors and the important role NSAL plays in helping emerging artists ascend to the next stage!
Judi Asselta was Pam Gigante's guest on Your South Florida program airing the South Florida PBS stations. Judi discussed NSAL's mission and the National Drama Competition.
The 2019 Star Maker Awards featured the performances by many of the NSAL scholarship and competition winners, along with a humorous and heartfelt speech by Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Marilynn Wick.
One at a time they will step from behind the curtain and stand center stage at the Crest Theatre in Old School Square. “Good morning,” they will say, “I’m No. 1.” Then “I’m No. 2. … I’m No. 3. ...” They have names, but the trio of judges in the front row won’t know them. They are from Boynton Beach and Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, but the judges won’t know where they live. All the judges will know for sure on this Saturday morning, March 9, is that each of them has a dream. They are 12 aspiring actors — seven young men, five young women — dressed in black slacks, black skirts, black blouses, black shirts. They have no costumes, no sets, no music, and when they are done, they will have no applause. All they have is a chair, two brief monologues and eight short minutes with which to attempt to win one of the top three spots in the Florida East Coast Chapter awards for the National Society of Arts and Letters 2019 Drama Competition. The first-place winner will receive $2,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the national competition May 30-June 2 and a chance to win $12,000.
One of South Florida's biggest radio groups, Hubbard which includes WRMF, WIRK, WEAT and more, recently interviewed NSAL President Judi Asselta and Star Marker Co-Chair Kim Champion about the Star Maker Awards and the importance of supporing the emerging artists in our area.
The National Society of Arts and Letters Florida East Coast Chapter ( www.nsalfloridaeast.org ) has announced that two Dreyfoos School of the Arts students secured Winston Scholarships through the NSAL program. The local chapter of NSAL selected Kathryn Dennison and Laura Santamaria Mendez to compete nationally for the Winston scholarships in 2-D Visual Arts and Voice respectively. Both students will be honored at the NSAL Star Maker Awards on April 28, 2019 at Boca West Country Club with the nonprofit organization's other scholarship and competition winners.
