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Nov. 8, 2006

U-M composer Bolcom receives National Medal of Arts from White House

Highest public recognition for lifetime artistic achievement

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—University of Michigan composer William Bolcom will be honored with the National Medal of Arts for his "significant and enduring contributions to the nation's cultural life" at a White House ceremony Thursday.

Bolcom is one of 10 Americans who will receive the nation's highest public artistic honor given annually to those who have demonstrated a lifetime of creative excellence, according to the National Endowment for the Arts, which oversees the selection of the recipients.

"It's a privilege and deep honor to be considered alongside many artists whose work I admire and who've contributed greatly to American culture," said Bolcom, who received the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for "12 New Etudes for Piano," and three Grammy Awards in 2006 for his composition of "Songs of Innocence and Experience," inspired by the writings of English poet William Blake.

Since its inception in 1984, more than 200 artists and arts patrons have received the National Medal of Arts. This year, Bolcom and nine others were selected from hundreds of nominations considered by the National Council on the Arts, which is managed by the NEA.

Throughout his career, Bolcom, a pianist, has attracted critical acclaim for the performance and recording of his work. He and his collaborator and wife, Joan Morris, have recorded 20 albums, specializing in show tunes, cabaret and popular songs from the early 20th-century. He has received two Guggenheims, four Rockefeller Foundation awards, and four NEA fellowships. Since the fall of 1994, Bolcom has held the title of Ross Lee Finney Distinguished University Professor of Composition at U-M. He joined the faculty in 1973.

"We are delighted and proud of this most significant recognition of Bill Bolcom," said Christopher Kendall, dean of the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance. "Our composition department is widely regarded as the best in the country, and such a claim could not be made without Bill's tremendous impact on our school. He is the consummate artist-teacher."

The National Medal of Arts will be presented by President George W. Bush and Laura Bush in the Oval Office. Joining them will be NEA Chairman Dana Gioia, and Bruce Cole, chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities. In addition to the medal of arts presentation, 10 awards will be given to recipients of the National Humanities Medal.
Along with Bolcom, recipients of this year's National Medal of Arts include:

• Cyd Charisse, dancer, Los Angeles, CA

• Roy R. DeCarava, photographer, Brooklyn, NY

• Wilhelmina Holladay, arts patron, Washington, DC

• Interlochen Center for the Arts, school of fine arts, Interlochen, MI

• Erich Kunzel, Pops conductor, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati, OH

• Preservation Hall Jazz Band, jazz ensemble, New Orleans, LA

• Gregory Rabassa, literary translator, Brooklyn, NY

• Viktor Schreckengost, industrial designer/sculptor, Cleveland, OH

• Ralph Stanley, folk musician, Coeburn, VA

"Whether by translating the masterpieces of Latin American literature or bringing genius to the design of everyday objects or simply preserving the great musical heritage of New Orleans, the work (of the recipients) has enriched our national culture," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia.

Past National Medal of Arts recipients include: Arthur Miller, Georgia O'Keeffe, Saul Bellow, Marian Anderson, Frank Capra, Aaron Copland, Willem de Kooning, Martha Graham, Ella Fitzgerald, Romare Bearden, Robert Penn Warren, Dizzy Gillespie, Vladimir Horowitz, John Updike, B.B. King, Beverly Sills, James Earl Jones, Ray Charles, Robert Rauschenberg, Dave Brubeck, Gene Kelly, Richard Wilbur, James Levine, Doc Watson, Fats Domino, Philip Roth, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Aretha Franklin, Michael Graves, Julliard School, Maya Angelou, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Itzhak Perlman, Barbara Streisand, Johnny Cash, Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Kirk Douglas, Yo-Yo Ma, Mike Nichols, Smokey Robinson, George Jones, Ray Bradbury, Twyla Tharp and Winton Marsalis.

Contact:  Rachel Francisco
Phone: (734) 764-0594

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Contact: Frank Provenzano
Phone: (734) 647-4411