Tampa, Fla. (April 17, 2014) – Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts (TBBCA) has selected the high school recipients for its annual fine and performing arts scholarships and will host a reception for the winners at the Cox Media Group Performance Theatre in St. Petersburg on May 1st. The scholarship fund, previously named the High School Art Stars Scholarship, was renamed in 2013 to honor Charlie Hounchell, the program’s founder and champion until his sudden passing in February 2013. Since Charlie established the program in 2007, $107,500 has been awarded to Bay Area students who wish to pursue careers in the arts.
Each year, the TBBCA awards six (6) scholarships in the amount of $2,500 for each of the following categories: dance, instrumental music, literary arts, theatre, visual arts and vocal music. This year, forty-eight (48) students from Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco Counties submitted applications and work samples to be reviewed by a selected judge for each art discipline.
The 2014 winners of The Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarship include: (dance) Brittany White, 12th grade, Howard W. Blake High School, Hillsborough County; (instrumental music) Kaila DeLany, 12th grade, Tarpon Springs High School, Pinellas County; (literary arts) Brooke Page, 11th grade, Seminole High School; (theatre) Cameron Kubly, Howard W. Blake High School, Hillsborough County; (visual arts) Alice Leavengood, 12th grade, Shorecrest Preparatory School, Pinellas County; (vocal music) Brandon Rodriguez, 12th grade, Riverview High School, Hillsborough County.
The 2014 panel of judges included: (dance) Erin Cardinal, director, choreographer/dancer for Moving Current Dance Collective; (instrumental music) Richard Sparrow, Florida Orchestra member and University of Tampa music faculty; (literary arts) Lisa Unger, award-winning New York Times and internationally best-selling crime author; (theatre) Anna Brennen, Founder of Stageworks Theatre; (visual arts) Michael Murphy, gallery owner of Michael Murphy Gallery M; and (vocal music) Dawne Eubanks, classical soloist and voice instructor at Eckerd College and Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School.
Scholarship recipients will present their winning work at TBBCA’s reception on May 1st from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Cox Media in St. Petersburg (11300 4th Street North, Suite 300). The event is open to the public, but space is limited, so reservations are encouraged. To RSVP, please contact jenniferdouglas@tbbca.org or call 813-221-2787. To donate to The Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarship, go to www.tbbca.org.
About the TBBCA
Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts is a nonprofit organization serving Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco Counties with the mission to unite Tampa Bay businesses to champion arts and culture for a prosperous community. This is achieved through advocacy, research, targeted communications, scholarship funds and innovative programs and partnerships.
Media Contact: Jennifer Douglas | (813) 221-2787 | jenniferdouglas@tbbca.org
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