USDAN Center Gala Concert Honors Joseph and Clara Sugar, Distinguished Music Educators, on Wednesday August 6

August 14, 2008

(Long Island, N.Y.) Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, whose alumni include Mariah Carey, Natalie Portman, Jane Monheit, Lisa Gay Hamilton and members of the New York Philharmonic and the New York City Ballet, will present its annual Gala Concert on Wednesday August 6 at 7 PM at the Center’s 200-acre woodland campus. Usdan Center, America’s premier summer arts day camp, will present Lifetime Achievement Awards to Joseph and Clara Sugar, whose long and distinguished careers as music educators include leadership of the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) and the Alliance for Arts Education’s Kennedy Center Award. The event, including performances by Usdan Center students in music, dance and theater, as well as an exhibit of the works of the Center’s visual arts students, will take place at Usdan Center’s 200-acre woodland campus at 185 Colonial Springs Road in Wheatley Heights (Huntington), New York

Tickets for the Gala Concert are $25 for general admission to the concert. Benefactor tickets, including a gourmet dinner at 5:30 PM, priority parking and reserved concert seating, are $150.00. For information, email gala@usdan.com, or call (631) 643-7900.

Beloved by music educators, and admired as their tireless advocates, Mr. and Mrs. Sugar have long been a driving force in the advancement of school music teaching, having dedicated more than 50 years each to the art of teaching. Usdan Center’s Executive Director, Dale Lewis, said “Whether in the classroom, on stage, or in the halls of the State Legislature, Joe and Clara Sugar have been exemplars of service to their profession for more than five decades. Their belief in the power of music to change young lives, combined with their high standards as musicians, have influenced the many generations of children whom they have taught, while also inspiring thousands of music educators who view Joe and Clara’s leadership as iconic. Usdan Center is proud to present its highest honor to these two superb educators.”

Joseph Sugar has provided leadership to his profession’s major advocacy organizations, including NYSSMA and the Music Educators National Conference. He was Director of Bands at Indiana University, and at Matawan High School, Upsala College, Bethpage High School, and Hewlett High School, where he was the Band Director and Director ofMusic. He is currently Professor of Music Education at Long Island University. Mr. Sugar began his career as a trumpet and string bass player in bands that assisted major stage and recording artists, and recorded for MGM, Fox, and London Records.

Clara Sugar was a music teacher in the Wantagh School District for 40 years. She is a graduate of Winthrop University, and holds an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University. Mrs. Sugar is Past President of NYSSMA, and was the first woman to serve as President of N.M.E.A. She is a LifeMember of NYSSMA and the Tri-M National High School Music Honor Society. She has been awarded the NYSSMA Past Presidents Award, the NMEA Past Presidents Award, and the Alliance for Arts Education’s Kennedy Center Award.

Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, America’s largest summer arts day camp, was formed to introduce young people, ages 6 to 18, to the arts through performance and study with a professional faculty of artist-teachers. The Center’s mission is to provide children with the arts as a companion for life through great teaching, and the camaraderie of fellow students who share a love the arts. Usdan offers more than 40 programs in music, dance, theatre, visual arts, media arts, chess, creative writing, and nature and ecology. No audition is required for most Usdan programs, and one-third of the Center’s 1,600 students receive tuition assistance to study at Usdan. Children commute to the Center every weekday for seven weeks each summer, traveling on on air-conditioned buses that leave from most New York metropolitan-area neighborhoods. A special feature of the students’ daily program is the Center’s series of Festival Concerts, daily educational performances by distinguished artists, such as the Tokyo String Quartet, James Galway, Canadian Brass, jazz legends Jimmy Heath and Billy Taylor, the Limon Dance Company, and cast members of current Broadway shows. Although the Center’s goal is simply to encourage participation in the arts, Usdan’s unique program has also inspired many former students to go on to professional careers. Alumni include actors Natalie Portman, Lisa Gay Hamilton (featured in August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean on Broadway) and Jordan Leeds (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change), award-winning playwright Michele Lowe, singers Mariah Carey and Jane Monheit, and members of the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and numerous ballet companies including Pacific Northwest, Ballet San Jose, American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet. Usdan Center is an agency of UJA-Federation of New York

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PHOTO: From left to right: John Usdan, Dr. Jerrold Ross, Clara Sugar, Dale Lewis, Joseph Sugar. Mr. and Mrs. Sugar, distinguished musica educators, were given Lifetime Achievement Awards onstage at Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts at its August 6 Gala. Photo by David Karp.

Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts

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