NSAL Star Maker Awards Honoring Arlene Herson

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Kay Renz

Judi Asselta, Kirsten Stephenson, Shari Upbin, Dr. Ronald Rubin, Arlene Herson, Dr. N'Quavah R. Velazquez, Alyce Erickson

NSAL Star Maker Awards Shines Spotlight on Rising Performers

Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Cultural Arts Advocate Arlene Herson

The National Society of Arts and Letters of Florida (NSAL) is thrilled to announce the annual Star Maker Awards Dinner will be held on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at The Addison in Boca Raton. The dazzling event supports the Boca Raton-based nonprofit’s mission of providing scholarships, competitions, and mentoring for local performing and visual artists. Join the city’s foremost arts and culture advocates for an enchanting evening of performances by an array of talented students and enjoy a heartfelt celebration honoring this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Arlene Herson. The event chairs for this year’s ceremony are Dr. Ronald Rubin, Alyce Erickson, Shari Upbin and Kirsten Stephenson, and the honorary chair for the evening is Andrea Virgin. For tickets and sponsorship opportunities visit www.nsalflorida.org/events.

“We are very proud of the incredibly talented emerging artists in our community,” stated Dr. N’Quavah R. Velazquez, NSAL President. “Their desire to share their gifts with the world is the reason why we work so diligently to support their dreams. The Star Maker Awards is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and it offers many opportunities for those who love the arts to support the next generation of stars through sponsorships and our donor campaign.”

Performers at the event will include scholarship winners from Lynn Conservatory of Music, the New World School of the Arts, Frost School of Music, Boca Ballet Theatre, and Florida Atlantic University, along with competition and scholarship winners in voice, piano & brass duo, visual art and in this year’s key competition, drama.

“Supporting young creatives early in their careers ensures that we will continue to be enthralled and inspired for the decades to come,” stated Dr. Ron Rubin, event chair. “One of the staunchest advocates for the arts in our community is this year’s Lifetime Achievement honoree, Arlene Herson.”

Herson is the producer and host of the award-winning syndicated cable television program, “The Arlene Herson Show.” The talk show featured in-depth interviews with nationally known personalities. In the nonprofit realm, Herson has been recognized numerous times for her outstanding contributions to beloved causes. Nationally, she was honored on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC with the Leadership Award by the Wings of Memory Society of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and has served as National Chair of the Legacy of Light Society of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. In addition, Herson served as an interviewer for Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation, videotaping first-hand testimonies of Holocaust survivors. Locally, she has been active supporter of many nonprofits and cultural organizations including The Boca Raton Historical Society, Miami City Ballet, Boca Raton, Alzheimer’s Brain Bowl, Rotary Club Downtown Boca Raton, Theatre Lab at FAU, Live at Lynn at Lynn University, and of course NSAL and our Star Maker Awards.

“We are also thrilled to announce that Andrea Virgin will serve as the Honorary Chair of the Star Maker Awards,” said Shari Upbin, NSAL Vice President. “She is a dynamic force of nature who spearheaded the Center for Arts & Innovation in Boca Raton, filling a huge cultural gap in our community that has existed for decades.”

To learn how you can help foster the dreams of young artists, please visit www.nsalflorida.org.

About NSAL:

NSAL aims to discover talented young people at the beginning of their careers and provides scholarships and competitions in art, dance, drama, literature, music and musical theatre, and works to advance their careers and support creative opportunities. Excelling at the chapter level allows competitors to progress to national competitions and where many stars have been discovered. Among these are Shirley MacLaine, actress/dancer/writer; Jessye Norman, opera singer; Megan Hilty, Broadway and television star; Awadagin Pratt, pianist; and Amanda McKerrow, prima ballerina, and opera star Nadine Sierra who was discovered through the Florida Chapter.

For more information about NSAL scholarships, competitions and how to become a supporter, please visit www.NSALFlorida.org