Nominations sought for McHenry area music leadership award
Submitted by McHenry County Music Center
The McHenry County Music Center is accepting nominations for the third annual Marie Ann Vos Music Leadership Award.
The award in recognizes a lifetime commitment, achievement and passion in promoting musical arts in the community.
Nomination applications for the MAV Music Leadership Award need to be submitted to the McHenry County Music Center, c/o Cathy Ames, MCMC Executive Director, 401 Country Club Road, Crystal Lake, IL 60014-5605 by Saturday, Dec. 31 for consideration.
There is no formal application form. In your nomination letter, include your name and contact information, the name and contact information for the nominee, along with the candidate’s bio and the reason you feel your candidate meets the above criteria to receive this recognition.
The successful candidate will be announced at the McHenry County Youth Orchestras Pop’s Concert at the Raue Center on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012.
This past year’s recipient of the MAV Music Leadership Award Steven Szalaj is the artistic director and conductor of Voices in Harmony, originally founded in 1987 as the Crystal Lake Community Choir.
Szalaj is widely recognized for his passion for fine choral music and inspiring choral performers to high standards of vocal musical excellence. Szalaj holds a master’s of music education from Roosevelt University in Chicago and bachelor of music education from Millikin University in Decatur.
Throughout his career, Szalaj has actively promoted vocal musical arts locally, statewide and nationally serving as member of the American Choral Directors Association and the National Music Educators Convention, and has participated as a regional and state committee chairman for both of these organizations.
Szalaj began his music education career in 1973 as an instructor in the Burlington Central Unit District 301. He later served as general music teacher and choral conductor for 23 years in Crystal Lake’s School District 47. During that time, he founded and directed a children’s choir, served as director of worship music for Bethany Lutheran Church in Crystal Lake and St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Johnsburg. He currently serves an adjunct member of the music faculty with McHenry County College, teaching voice lessons and directing choral music at the MCC.