Wheaton North student Kellin Hanas wins National YoungArts Award for accomplishments in jazz trumpet
Kellin Hanas, a senior at Wheaton North High School, has been named a 2020 National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) Honorable Mention winner in Jazz Trumpet.
Hanas has been recognized for her caliber of artistic achievement and joins 686 of the nation's most accomplished artists in the visual, literary, and performing arts and was selected based on the caliber of artistic achievement by an esteemed discipline-specific panel of artists through a rigorous blind adjudication process.
This year's award winners represent the top 9.5% of applications across 10 artistic disciplines.
YoungArts award winners gain access to one of the most prestigious programs for emerging artists in the United States in which they will have opportunities for creative and professional development throughout their entire careers. A complete list of the 2020 winners, all 15 to 18 years old or in 10th to 12th grade, is available online at youngarts.org/winners.
"Every year I am reminded that extraordinary artistry is ageless and the 2020 YoungArts award winners - all teenage artists - have done it again. This group of emerging talent represents the inspiring potential of the next generation of artists. We look forward to welcoming them to the YoungArts community of leading artists and are thrilled to support their work from this early stage and throughout their careers," stated Board Chair Sarah Arison.
"It's been one of my goals since freshman year to win a YoungArts award and I'm so grateful to be given this opportunity!" stated Hanas. "The ability to travel and play is amazing, and I want to use that ability to inspire other young people, and young women in jazz."
This is not the first time Hanas has been recognized for her musical ability. She was also in the 2019 Jazz Band of America, and the 2019 Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, both very prestigious national honor ensembles, and was selected by the Illinois Music Educators Association as the top high school jazz trumpet player in the state of Illinois. In 2020, Kellin is to participate in the 2020 Jazz Band of America and the 2020 Next Generation Women in Jazz Combo sponsored by the Monterey Jazz Festival. You can follow more of Kellin's musical endeavors on her instagram account, @kellinhanasmusic.
As a 2020 YoungArts award winner, Hanas will be invited to participate in one of the organization's regional programs, YoungArts New York (April 21-26, 2020) which will provide her with master classes, workshops and mentorship from leading artists in jazz.
On July 1, 2020, Hanas will join the 20,000-strong YoungArts alumni community and will receive ongoing support from the organization as they continue to pursue a life in the arts. YoungArts award winners are eligible for exclusive opportunities such as fellowships, symposia and residencies in Miami, Los Angeles, New York and abroad; presentation opportunities at major institutions such as Jacob's Pillow (Massachusetts), the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.), New World Center (Miami), Sotheby's (New York), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance (Los Angeles) and the Watermill Center (New York); and the opportunity to work with directors and curators such as Derrick Adams, Deana Haggag, Bill T. Jones, Jasmine Wahi and Tony Yazbeck. They will also have access to YoungArts Post, a custom online platform for YoungArts alumni to connect, collaborate and learn about additional opportunities such as microgrants, cash awards that support expenses related to professional or artistic development.
National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison. YoungArts identifies the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary and performing arts, and provides them with creative and professional development opportunities throughout their careers. Entrance into this prestigious organization starts with a highly competitive application process for talented artists ages 15-18, or grades 10-12, in the United States, that is judged by esteemed discipline-specific panels of artists through a rigorous blind adjudication process. In their first year, YoungArts award winners, who represent approximately the top 10% of applicants, receive valuable financial awards of up to $10,000; presentation opportunities at renowned institutions; and the chance to learn from notable artists and mentors such as Debbie Allen, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Frank Gehry, Wynton Marsalis, Salman Rushdie and Mickalene Thomas in intimate settings.
YoungArts award winners are further eligible for exclusive opportunities including: nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one of the nation's highest honors for high school students; a wide range of fellowships, residencies and awards; presentation opportunities at major venues nationwide; additional financial support; and access to YoungArts Post, a free private digital network for YoungArts artists to connect, collaborate and learn about additional opportunities. YoungArts award winners include accomplished leaders in their fields such as Daniel Arsham, Terence Blanchard, Camille A. Brown, Viola Davis, Allegra Goodman, Josh Groban, Judith Hill, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Andrew Rannells, Desmond Richardson and Hunter Schafer.
Support for National YoungArts Week is provided by National Premier Partner Carnival Foundation; National YoungArts Week Performance Partner SunTrust; Anthropologie; Aon; Arquitectonica; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; Jay Franke & David Herro; Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation, Inc.; National YoungArts Week Preferred Hotel Partner Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay; the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, and the Cultural Arts Council; Miami City Ballet; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; Dr. Sidney Stern in loving memory of Florence Stern; New World Symphony; Related Group; Sandra and Tony Tamer; Wells Fargo; and WLRN.
For more information, visit youngarts.org, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.