Howard County Arts Council Announces Performers for CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS Gala

The Howard County Arts Council has announced the guest performers for the 20th annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County gala.

Featured this year are: The Young Columbians, Full Circle Dance Company, Lawrence B. Munsey, and accompanist Ross Scott Rawlings. You can catch them, along with seven former Rising Stars competing for the coveted title of "Rising All-Star" and a $5,000 cash prize in a special edition of the Arts Council's Rising Star Competition, at the Celebration gala on March 25, 2017 at 8 p.m. Emcee for the event is Richard W. Story, Senior Vice President, Community Relations and Government Affairs, and Business Development Liaison for Howard Bank.

The Young Columbians, a unique ensemble of talented youth created in 1975 for the bicentennial, have performed their Spirit of America, Broadway, and Christmas shows at many prestigious events. Venues include The White House, Wolf Trap, Disney World, The Kennedy Center and Merriweather Post Pavilion. Each Young Columbians performance has a polished innocence and freshness rarely seen in our youth today.

Full Circle Dance Company, under the direction of Donna L. Jacobs, is a multiethnic professional ensemble that performs exciting choreography from a variety of modern dance traditions. Based in Baltimore, the company draws on the diverse backgrounds of its dancers and works in a collaborative spirit to bring technically stunning and emotionally challenging dance to a wide audience. Full Circle is the company in residence at Morton Street Dance Center, Inc. The important partnership between the school and company creates opportunities for professional dancers to share their knowledge with young dancers in training.

Lawrence B. Munsey has performed, costumed, and directed many shows at Toby's Dinner Theatre. He has worked on Broadway's Bombay Dreams, Avenue Q, and Phantom of the Opera. Lawrence directed Footloose, The Full Monty, Damn Yankees, and Cinderella, and co-directed Memphis and Titanic, which received a Helen Hayes nomination for Outstanding Direction.

An accomplished pianist, arranger, orchestrator, and conductor, Ross Scott Rawlings holds over three hundred professional credits since the age of fifteen, including both national and international productions. In addition to being the Director of Choral Activities and Piano at Glenelg High School, he has performed and directed with Toby's Dinner Theatre, Rep Stage, and Olney Theatre Center. He holds a BS in Music Education and Piano from Towson State University.

The Celebration is a multi-faceted signature event, showcasing and promoting the arts and raising funds for Howard County artists and arts organizations. In addition to the main stage performance, the evening also features a reception from 6-8 p.m. with a Silent Auction of work by local artists and delectable edibles from area restaurants and caterers. Reception entertainment will feature the musical stylings of vocalist Lisa Pastellaand pianist Tiffany Underwood Holmes, followed by musicians from The Columbia Orchestra under the musical direction of Jason Love.

The Celebration will take place in Columbia at Howard Community College's Peter and Elizabeth Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center. Information and tickets are available by phone at 410-313-2787.

The Howard County Arts Council is a non-profit organization whose mission is to serve the citizens of Howard County by fostering the arts, artists and arts organizations. The Howard County Arts Council receives major grants from the Howard County Government and the Maryland State Arts Council and sustaining annual support from corporate, foundation and individual sponsors. Howard County Arts Council offices are located at the Howard County Center for the Arts, 8510 High Ridge Road , Ellicott City , MD 21043 . The Howard County Center for the Arts is an accessible facility encouraging the full participation of individuals with disabilities. For information, call 410.313.ARTS (2787), fax 410.313.2790, or email info@hocoarts.org. TDD: 711.