2016 Viola Award Nominees Announced

The Flagstaff Arts Council is proud to announce the official nominees for the 8^th annual Viola Awards Gala taking place on Saturday, March 5, 2016 at the High Country Conference Center in Flagstaff. The Viola Awards are Flagstaff’s Oscars for the arts. Celebrating excellence in the arts and sciences, the Viola Awards recognize artists, educators, organizations and leaders who make positive contributions to the arts and sciences in Flagstaff.

Forty-nine nominees were selected in eight different categories for contributions made in 2016. A panel of forty-one artists, educators, past Viola Award winners, and professionals in the field selected the nominees from many more submitted to the Arts Council by community members over the past year. Some previous Viola Award winners are amongst this year’s nominees: Joe Maniglia, Mike Levin, Joe Cornett, Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, Tow’rs, Flagstaff Arts & Leadership Academy, Linda Sutera, and Kevin Schindler. Mike Levin, 2016 Arts Educator nominee and 2015 Viola Award winner in the Performing Arts, is the only individual to have been nominated for a Viola Award every year since the event began in 2009.

At the Gala event, the Arts Council will honor Charly Spining. He is receiving the Viola Legacy Award, which recognizes Lifetime Contribution to the Arts. Spining is a musician, educator and one of the founding Board members of the Flagstaff Light Opera Company. The restaurant in downtown Flagstaff at the Weatherford Hotel is named after him.

To learn more about the Viola Awards, visit the Viola Awards section of our website.

Tickets for the Gala event are now on sale using the buttons below or by calling 928-779-2300. Individual tickets are $60.00. Table sponsorships are also available.