Rabin Youth Arts Awards
The Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras awarded the first Rabin Youth Arts Awards in 2001 in honor of their founding conductor, Dr. Marvin Rabin. Dr. Rabin remains well known for his international stature as an educator and music specialist, researcher of youth and the arts, and founder of three youth orchestra programs (Kentucky, Greater Boston and Wisconsin). As a life-long advocate for youth arts, he is a vigorous spokesperson for society's need to recognize the positive and creative accomplishments of young people, as well as the individuals, organizations and businesses that support these artistic efforts. The Rabin Youth Arts Awards continue the legacy of Dr. Rabin's life-long mission.
Mark your calendar for ARTS DAY; March 5, 2008.
On Arts Day, Arts Wisconsin and partners from the public and private sectors organize arts advocates to come to the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison to visit and educate their legislators. Working in teams, we ask legislators to support the arts in their districts and across the state. The Rabin Youth Arts Awards will be presented during this exciting and empowering event for artists of all kinds.
Past recipients of the award include: Marian Bolz, Leotha Stanley, Richard and Anne DiPrima (Young Shakespeare Players), William T. Graham Youth Arts Awards Program, Carrel Prey, Teddy Studt, Ginny Moore Kruse, Opera for the Young, Diane Robinson, Pleasant Company, Thomas Buchhauser and American Family Insurance.
Awards will be presented for:
Artistic Achievement – in recognition of an individual or organization in areas such as teaching, program development, leadership in youth performance and/or participation, and presentation to youth audiences.
Philanthropic Achievement – in recognition of an individual or organization for monetary or in-kind contributions, including both sustained support and exceptional projects.
Thank you for your nominations!
Professor Marvin J. Rabin is Emeritus Professor of Music and director of the Wisconsin String and Orchestral Development Program for the Department of Continuing Education in the Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the founding conductor of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras.
Dr. Rabin is known internationally as a string development specialist and for his leadership of youth orchestras. In great demand as a string clinician and conducting specialist, he has served at many national and state music education conventions and has conducted all-state high school orchestras, festivals and workshops in forty-eight states, Canada, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Europe. He has guest conducted youth orchestras in Canada, Carnegie Hall, Avery Fischer Hall, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France, England, Costa Rica and the Soviet Union. He has also served as a guest lecturer on string pedagogy around the country. Dr. Rabin has also studied the youth orchestra movement in seven European countries and the Suzuki method in Japan.
During his career Dr. Rabin founded two outstanding youth orchestra programs: the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras in Madison and the Greater Boston Youth Orchestras. He also contributed significantly to the development of the Central Kentucky Symphony Orchestra in Louisville. As a musician, he played the viola in several professional ensembles in Kentucky. Federations of music clubs in several states have presented him with citations for his crusade for strings, his contributions to contemporary music and support for music for youth. In 1977 he received the Distinguished Service Award for meritorious service, the outstanding leadership in music education from the Wisconsin Music Educators Association and in 1984 the University of Wisconsin-Extension Distinguished Service Award. In 1991 the Wisconsin chapter of the American String Teachers Association gave Dr. Rabin their first Distinguished Service Award. In 1992, the Mid-West International Band and Orchestra Clinic awarded Dr. Rabin the Distinguished Medal of Honor and in 2000 he received the coveted Wisconsin Governor's Award in Support of the Arts.
In 2001, the American String Teachers Association honored Dr. Rabin with the creation of a new award: the Marvin J. Rabin Award. It is presented to an individual or organization who makes significant contributions to their community (local, regional or professional) by their string/orchestra teaching and leadership. The Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY) has established a Marvin Rabin Archive for his professional papers.
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