Get Your Tickets for The Howard County Arts Council's 24th Annual Celebration of the Arts Gala

Tickets are now available for the 24th annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County! This year's event, marking the Howard County Arts Council's 40th year (1981-2021), will be held on Saturday, October 2, 2021 from 7:00-9:00pm at the Jim Rouse Theatre for Performing Arts in Columbia.

Tickets are $40 and may be purchased online at hocoarts.org/celebration or by phone at 410-313-ARTS (2787). A virtual option including a live-stream of the event is also available.

Doors open at 6:00pm for the Special Preview Art Auction featuring works by local artists, followed by the main event at 7:00pm - the Rising Star Performing Arts Competition and presentation of the Howie Awards!

The Rising Star competition gives emerging performers with local ties the opportunity to vie for a no-strings-attached award of $5,000. Audience members (both in-person and virtual) will enjoy performances by the finalists, then vote for their favorite. The votes will be tallied, and a winner announced on stage that evening! The Rising Star finalists performing at the 2021 Celebration are Lizzi Albert, Theatre; MaryKate Brouillet, Musical Theatre; Qi Cao, Violin; Alyssa Cox, Classical Voice; Amanda Cunningham, Singer-songwriter; Teresa Deskur, Recorder; Daisha Graf, Dance; Madhulika C. Nallani, Dance; Eleanor Parks, Musical Theatre; and Gabrielle Stanback, Violin.

The Howie Awards honor individuals or businesses that have made a significant impact on the arts in Howard County. This year's recipients are: Linda Joy Burke, Outstanding Artist; Patricia Hunter and Eric Posner, Outstanding Arts Educators; and Phyllis Madachy, Outstanding Community Supporter of the Arts (posthumously). A special Legacy in the Arts Award will also be presented to Linda and Philip Press.

Liz Bobo and Lloyd Knowles will act as honorary co-chairs for the Celebration. Joseph W. Ritsch, producing artistic director for Rep Stage, will serve as event emcee.

As the Arts Council's main source of individual and corporate funding, the Celebration helps to support the Arts Council's grants and education programs for children and adults throughout the year. The Celebration is also an important showcase for local performing and visual artists. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit us online at hocoarts.org/celebration or call 410-313-ARTS (2787).