2017 ArtsPartner of the Year Announced

Peoria, IL – ArtsPartners of Central Illinois, Inc. presented the Peoria Symphony Orchestra (PSO) with the 2017 ArtsPartner of the Year Award at their Annual Meeting on October 11^th at The Waterhouse in downtown Peoria.  The PSO was honored for 120 years of impacting and enhancing the culture and quality of life in the greater Peoria area. Present to accept the award were Susan Hoffman, Executive Director; Viki Burnett, Marketing Manager; and Priscilla Slaughter, Director of Development.

The ArtsPartner of the Year Award recognizes exemplary support of and service to the arts in central Illinois. Each year, ArtsPartners invites the public to nominate individuals or organizations who have demonstrated outstanding efforts in the areas of advocacy, education, professional service, volunteers service, or funding of the arts.

“We cannot think of a more deserving organization to receive the ArtsPartner of the Year Award. The Peoria Symphony Orchestra is the crown jewel of Peoria with a 120-year tradition of education, outreach, entertainment and excellence,” says Perry and Pam Johnson, longtime subscribers and supporters of the PSO.

Founded in 1887, the PSO presents excellent live performances, innovative education programs, and engaging community outreach efforts, which significantly enhance the cultural life of central Illinois. In addition to their concerts, the Peoria Symphony Orchestra educates youth in the community through the Peoria Symphony Guild, which has helped support and serve the Peoria area in education and outreach for more than sixty years.

“The Peoria Symphony Orchestra has found unique ways to reach a diverse audience,” says Colleen Runkle, Development Director at WTVP. “They bring music into homes through the ‘Sound Bites’ series which are intimate presentations of music taped live in the WTVP studio in front of an audience for broadcast at a later date.” Their upcoming “La La Land in Concert” on October 21^st, will bring in even more diverse audiences as the symphony will play the movie score live while the movie is projected on a massive screen behind the orchestra.

“It is no secret the Peoria community is blessed with a vibrant arts community, but I honestly cannot think of an organization more deserving than the Peoria Symphony Orchestra to be named ArtsPartner of the Year,” notes, Cindy Ardis Jenkins, Director of Development and Communications at Quest Charter Academy.

The PSO acknowledged the award saying, “We are grateful, and thank all of the people involved, especially Maestro George Stelutto, our artists and guest artists, donors, and supporters.” The PSO joins a prestigious list of past ArtsPartners of the Year recipients including Nita Sunderland, Channy Lyons, WTVP, and Jim Maloof.

ArtsPartners of Central Illinois promotes the arts as a vital component of central Illinois’ cultural and economic development. Founded in 1999, ArtsPartners of Central Illinois, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to build awareness and strengthen the arts for the economic and cultural enrichment of central Illinois.

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