See photos of the 2010 Semi Finalists in Performing Arts!

Click here to watch a brief video about the Spotlight Award Program.

Download the new Spotlight Awards flyer!!!

The Music Center Spotlight Awards program was established in 1988 to provide meaningful recognition, encouragement, and advancement opportunities to high school performing and visual artists in Southern California. Students of all talent levels are encouraged to participate in order to strengthen audition and performance skills. Now in its twenty-second year, the program boasts many highly successful alumni. More importantly, thousands of students of all levels of ability have benefited from this unique learning experience.

The performing arts categories are ballet, non-classical dance, classical voice, non-classical voice, classical instrumental, and jazz instrumental. The preliminary round of judging will take place in October - December of 2009. Semifinal auditions and master classes will be held from January – March 2010.

The visual arts categories are photography and two-dimensional art. The preliminary round of judging will take place in January of 2010. Semifinal auditions and master classes will be held from January – February 2010.

Twelve finalists will be selected in performing arts, two from each category, to perform at the Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre on Saturday, April 24, 2010. The four finalists in visual arts, two from each category, will also be presented that evening.

Scholarships

Performing and Visual
• First Grand Prize - $5,000 scholarship
• Second Grand Prize - $4,000 scholarship
• Honorable mentions - $250 scholarship

Performing Arts only
• Through the generosity of the Spotlight donors, finalists in the classical instrumental and classical voice categories will be invited to attend the Aspen Summer Music Program on scholarship in the summer of 2011
• All semifinalists receive a $100 scholarship and participate in professional master classes
• All participants receive a written evaluation of their auditions and a certificate of participation in the program

Visual Arts only
• Semifinalists receive a $500 scholarship for summer art classes
• Semifinal artwork is hung at a gallery for an awards reception and exhibition
• Semifinalists receive a $100 scholarship and a letter evaluating their portfolios
• All participants are invited to free art workshops led by leading professionals and a museum tour
• All participants receive a certificate