Songwriting student Calista Garcia has been named a 2020 National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) Finalist in Voice/Singer-songwriter, the organization’s highest honor. This is the third consecutive year that Garcia has been recognized as a YoungArts winner, and this year, she joins 686 of the nation’s most accomplished artists in the visual, literary and performing arts.
Garcia was selected by an esteemed discipline-specific panel of artists through a rigorous blind adjudication process. This year’s award winners represent the top 9.5% of applications across ten artistic disciplines. YoungArts award winners gain access to one of the most prestigious programs for emerging artists in the United States in which they will have opportunities for creative and professional development throughout their entire careers. A complete list of the 2020 winners, all 15–18 years old or in grades 10–12, is available online at youngarts.org/winners.
Garcia will receive a cash prize of up to $10,000 and will participate in National YoungArts Week (January 5—12, 2020), the organization’s signature program providing artists with an intensive, weeklong and all-inclusive program featuring master classes, workshops and mentorship from leading artists in their fields.
“I am incredibly honored to be selected as a YoungArts finalist. Last year I had the opportunity to attend a YoungArts regional program, and it was an intensely inspiring experience,” said Garcia. “I am so grateful to have this opportunity to learn from these amazingly talented artists.”
At National YoungArts Week, Garcia will have the opportunity to learn from 2020 master teachers, including MacArthur “Genius” Claire Chase (1996 YoungArts Winner in Classical Music & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts); Grammy nominated Jazz vocalist René Marie; The New York Times Best Selling author Joan Morgan; Tony nominated actress Michele Shay; photographer, curator and educator Endia Beal; and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Doug Blush (1984 YoungArts Winner in Film). On Monday January 6, Garcia will share her work with the public at the New World Center as part of the of 2020 National YoungArts Week. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit youngarts.org/yaw
“Every year I am reminded that extraordinary artistry is ageless and the 2020 YoungArts award winners—all teenage artists—have done it again. This group of emerging talent represents the inspiring potential of the next generation of artists. We look forward to welcoming them to the YoungArts community of leading artists and are thrilled to support their work from this early stage and throughout their careers,” stated Board Chair Sarah Arison.
ABOUT NATIONAL YOUNGARTS FOUNDATION
National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison. YoungArts identifies the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary and performing arts, and provides them with creative and professional development opportunities throughout their careers.
Entrance into this prestigious organization starts with a highly competitive application process for talented artists ages 15–18, or grades 10-12, in the United States, that is judged by esteemed discipline-specific panels of artists through a rigorous blind adjudication process. In their first year, YoungArts award winners, who represent approximately the top 10% of applicants, receive valuable financial awards of up to $10,000; presentation opportunities at renowned institutions; and the chance to learn from notable artists and mentors such as Debbie Allen, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Frank Gehry, Wynton Marsalis, Salman Rushdie and Mickalene Thomas in intimate settings.
YoungArts award winners are further eligible for exclusive opportunities including: nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students; a wide range of fellowships, residencies and awards; presentation opportunities at major venues nationwide; additional financial support; and access to YoungArts Post, a free private digital network for YoungArts artists to connect, collaborate and learn about additional opportunities. YoungArts award winners include accomplished leaders in their fields such as Daniel Arsham, Terence Blanchard, Camille A. Brown, Viola Davis, Allegra Goodman, Josh Groban, Judith Hill, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Andrew Rannells, Desmond Richardson and Hunter Schafer.
For more information, visit youngarts.org, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
