The National YoungArts Foundation Launches Regional Programs in LA, NYC, and Miami

National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) President and CEO Carolina García Jayaram announces details for the organization's 2018 regional programs in Miami, Los Angeles and New York. Spanning the country, YoungArts regional programs are modeled after National YoungArts Week, the organization's signature program held annually in Miami. This year, 757 YoungArts winners-extraordinarily talented aspiring artists ages 15-18 or grades 10-12-from 47 states will have the opportunity to participate in classes led by master teachers such as Inna Faliks (1996 Winner in Classical Music), Marina Lomazov, Roger Bonair-Agard, Patricia Engel, Kimberly Browning, and more. Winners will participate in interdisciplinary workshops, professional development seminars and present their work to the public through performances, exhibitions and readings at world-class arts institutions in each city.

YoungArts regional programs provide a platform for participants to connect, collaborate and learn from their peers. Regional programs are open to winners from all award levels-Finalist, Honorable Mention and Merit-and will take place in Miami, Los Angeles and New York in February, March and April, respectively.

YoungArts Miami | February 20-25, 2018
At Miami Theater Center, the public will have the opportunity to experience a dance, theater and voice performance on Saturday, February 24, directed by Caleb Teicher (2011 Winner in Dance) in collaboration with Michael Benjamin Washington (1997 Winner in Theater & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), Macey Sullivan and India Carney (2011 Winner in Voice and Theater & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts); and on Sunday, February 25, a classical music concert directed by Dave Eggar (1987 Winner in Classical Music & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts) in collaboration with composer Chuck Palmer and international performer, choreographer and educator Andrew Nemr (1997 Winner in Dance). On Friday, February 23, the public is invited to the YoungArts campus for a film screening, jazz performance and writers' readings, along with the opening of a design, photography and visual arts exhibition curated by Rosie Gordon Wallace, on view until April 27.

YoungArts Miami participants will also have the opportunity to learn from visual artists Loni Johnson and Robert Chambers, jazz pianist and composer Emmet Cohen (2009 Winner in Jazz), author and award-winning journalist Joan Morgan (who will also teach in Los Angeles and New York) and cinematographer Rick Delgado (1992 Winner in Cinematic Arts).

YoungArts Los Angeles | March 24-29, 2018
Presented in partnership with the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA, this year's Los Angeles public offerings will include a jazz instrumental performance and writers' readings on Monday, March 26; a classical music performance on Tuesday, March 27, directed by violinist Lina Bahn; and a multidisciplinary performance directed by master teacher and musical director Christian Hebel on Wednesday, March 28. On Sunday, March 25, a design, photography and visual arts exhibition curated by Jamillah James will open and remain on view until April 14 at Building Bridges.

YoungArts Los Angeles participants will also have the opportunity to learn from Academy Award-winning cinematographer Doug Blush (1984 Winner in Cinematic Arts), visual artist Mariah Garnett, Lucie Foundation Executive Director Cat Jimenez and distinguished jazz musician Dr. Ron McCurdy.

YoungArts New York | April 24-29, 2018
On the heels of the YoungArts New York Gala on Wednesday, April 18, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the regional program in New York City will kick off in partnership with Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC). On Saturday, April 28, a dance, jazz, theater and voice performance directed by YoungArts alumnus and Tony Award-winning musical director Michael Arden (2001 Winner in Theater & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts) will be presented at BAC's Jerome Robbins Theater, followed by a classical music performance led by acclaimed cellist Jeffrey Zeigler and writers' readings on Sunday, April 29. A design, photography and visual arts exhibition will also be presented. Details to follow.

YoungArts New York participants will also have the opportunity to learn from acclaimed visual artist Derrick Adams, jazz musician Adam Larson (2009 Winner in Jazz), photographer Lydia Bittner-Baird and screenwriter Shari Carpenter.

More information is available at: youngarts.org/regional-programs

The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison to identify and nurture the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary, design and performing arts, and assist them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development. Through a wide range of annual programs, performances, and partnerships with some of the nation's leading cultural institutions, YoungArts aspires to create a strong community of alumni and a platform for a lifetime of encouragement, opportunity and support.???

YoungArts' signature program is an application-based award for emerging artists ages 15-18 or in grades 10-12 from across the United States. Selected through a blind adjudication process, YoungArts winners receive valuable support, including financial awards of up to $10,000, professional development and educational experiences working with renowned mentors-such as Debbie Allen, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rebecca Walker, Plácido Domingo, Frank Gehry, Jeff Koons, Wynton Marsalis, Salman Rushdie and Carrie Mae Weems-and performance and exhibition opportunities at some of the nation's leading cultural institutions, including The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), The Museum of Modern Art (New York) and New World Center (Miami). Additionally, YoungArts winners are eligible for nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one of the nation's highest honors for high school students who exemplify academic and artistic excellence.?

YoungArts winners become part of a thousands-strong alumni network of artists, which offers them additional professional opportunities throughout their careers. YoungArts alumni who have gone on to become leading professionals in their fields include actresses Viola Davis, Anna Gunn, Zuzanna Szadkowski and Kerry Washington; Broadway stars Raúl Esparza, Billy Porter, Andrew Rannells and Tony Yazbeck; recording artists Josh Groban, Judith Hill and Chris Young; Metropolitan Opera star Eric Owens; musicians Terence Blanchard, Gerald Clayton, Jennifer Koh and Elizabeth Roe; choreographers Camille A. Brown and Desmond Richardson; visual artists Daniel Arsham and Hernan Bas; internationally acclaimed multimedia artist Doug Aitken; New York Times bestselling author Sam Lipsyte; and Academy Award winners Doug Blush and Tarell Alvin McCraney.