Dr. Harry Clark Honored With Cultural Trust's 2021 JazzLive Legacy Award

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has announced the recipient of its 2021 JazzLive Legacy Award is Dr. Harry Clark, a distinguished administrator of 30 years for Pittsburgh Public Schools and supporter of arts programs in schools. The award was established by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in 2018 to acknowledge a regional jazz artist for their incredible contribution to this music genre in Pittsburgh and beyond.

The 2021 JazzLive Legacy Award honoring Dr. Clark for his many years as an of outstanding contributions to jazz in Pittsburgh took place on Tuesday, October 26, at the Greer Cabaret Theater during the Kurt Elling concert. Mr. Elling's concert marked the first indoor performance of the Trust's BNY Mellon Presents JazzLive series since February of 2020.

Dr. Harry Clark retired from Pittsburgh Public Schools after 30 years of service, including serving as the founding principal of Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts High School (CAPA) - the first public arts high school in Western Pennsylvania. Through this work, he influenced hundreds of musicians who now have their own careers and contribute to Pittsburgh's reputation as a city where jazz thrives. Dr. Clark has consulted for schools across the country to help initiate new arts programs, as well as for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, U.S. Department of Education's Special Projects Committee, and American Council for the Arts. Locally, he serves on the boards of directors at Bridgeway Capital and Kente Arts Alliance, advises the African American Jazz Preservation Society of Pittsburgh, and has been a member of the University of Pittsburgh's Jazz Seminar Committee for more than 30 years.

"We couldn't be more excited to honor Dr. Clark with the JazzLive Legacy Award this year," says Terri Bell, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. "The event on October 26th was particularly joyful as we returned to in-person JazzLive concerts and recognized Dr. Clark's contributions to our thriving jazz scene. Dr. Clark embodies everything this award was created to recognize - he came out of our city's jazz tradition and continues to contribute to and build that legacy. Pittsburgh jazz would not be the same without him and we thank him for teaching, guiding, and inspiring us all!"

Previous JazzLive Legacy Award honorees include Mr. Roger Humphries (2018) and Mr. Joe Negri (2019).

For information and a schedule of upcoming BNY Mellon Presents JazzLive events, please visit TrustArts.org/JazzLive or call 412-456-6666.