About
Alumni Award
The Alumni Award was established in 2006 in celebration of YoungArts’ 25th anniversary and is particularly significant because of YoungArts’ dedication to supporting talented young artists. This ongoing commitment is now yielding fruit; as demonstrated by the increasing number of alumni who are attaining professional recognition and success in their chosen art form. The annual award is granted to a YoungArts award-winner alum in recognition of significant contributions and professional success in his/her chosen art form. The YoungArts Alumni Award carries a $5,000 stipend to the charity of the award recipient’s choice, and is presented at YoungArts’ annual An Affair of the Arts Performance and Gala..
The 2010 YoungArts Alumni Award winner: Desmond Richardson, 1986 winner in Dance and Presidential Scholar in the Arts
Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Desmond Richardson is a multi-talented artist who has mastered a wide range of dance forms including classical, Hip Hop, modern, and contemporary. Hailed by the New York Times as “one of the great modern dancers of his time”, he has been a principle dancer at the American Ballet Theatre and Alvin Ailey dance companies. Richardson has worked in television, film, and video in the United States and abroad. These experiences have allowed him to perform with such musical artists as Michael Jackson, Prince, Elton John and many others; he is featured in Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi's film, One Last Dance and the Oscar winning film Chicago.
Past Recipients
2009: Raúl Esparza, 1988 YoungArts winner in Theater. Esparza is an award-winning Broadway, television and film actor. Esparza is a three-time Tony Award nominee, a Drama Desk Award nominee and Obie Award winning actor.
2008: Rachel Moore, 1982 YoungArts winner in Dance. Moore serves as Executive Director of the American Ballet Theatre, and is a former member of ABT’s Corps de Ballet. Moore has served as Director of Boston Ballet’s Center for Dance Education and has held positions at leading dance and arts organizations.
2007: Allegra Goodman, 1985 YoungArts winner in Writing and Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Goodman is a critically-acclaimed novelist and short story writer. Goodman’s first novel Kaaterskill Falls, was a 1998 National Book Award finalist.
2006: Vanessa Williams, 1981 YoungArts winner in Musical and Spoken Theater. Williams is an internationally renowned Grammy and Emmy nominated singer/actress. Williams has conquered the musical charts, Broadway, music videos, television and motion pictures. She has sold over four million albums worldwide and her skills as an actress on stage, in film and on television have earned praise from the most seasoned of critics.
Congratulations and thank you to our past recipients who have made a difference to the arts and our program
