18 Sep Press Release: Debra Nagy wins Cleveland Art Prize

Debra Nagy, Artistic Director & founder of Les Délices, Awarded Cleveland Arts Prize 2022

September 16, 2022 – Les Délices founder and Artistic Director Debra Nagy has been awarded the 2022 Cleveland Arts Prize in the Mid-Career Artist category. This prestigious award is given annually to two artists who reside in Northeast Ohio and whose work has received both regional acclaim and national recognition. The Cleveland Arts Prize (CAP) is the oldest municipal arts award of its kind in the United States. Each $10,000 prize furthers CAP’s commitment to enhancing the quality of life in the region by supporting, cultivating, and honoring artistic excellence which can be accessed by all. Nagy will receive her 2022 Cleveland Arts Prize at formal ceremony held at the Cleveland Museum of Art on November 2nd, 2022.

Says Nagy, “I am deeply honored to be named a Cleveland Arts Prize winner and feel that I’m in extraordinary company.  Music is an ephemeral art form and applause is a fleeting form of recognition, so it’s incredibly meaningful to receive this sort of recognition from the Cleveland community that I’ve called home since 2003.  As an oboist, I travel and gig all over the country, but the performances and outreach programs I create here in Ohio with my ensemble Les Délices are at the heart of my artistic life. Thank you, CAP, for this significant recognition of the work I do.”

About Cleveland Arts Prize

The Cleveland Arts Prize (CAP), founded by the Women’s City Club of Cleveland in 1960, is the oldest award of its kind in the United States. The Prize is a testament to the standard of excellence and quality of artists in Northeast Ohio. In addition to artists, Cleveland Arts Prize honors individuals and organizations that have expanded the role of the arts in the community. Since its inception, CAP has honored over 400 artists and art leaders. Today, CAP continues as a trusted, peer-directed arbiter and guardian of the city’s creative history. Through its prize winners, CAP is the nucleus of Northeast Ohio’s arts and culture legacy and the living archive of our community’s triumphs. CAP is proud to honor and support them.

About Debra Nagy

Debra Nagy has acquired a reputation for creating fascinating and inviting concert experiences through her work with Les Délices. A musical polymath whose performances and expertise stretch from late-Medieval music through the Classical period, Nagy draws on “her rolodex of superb musicians” (ClevelandClassical.com) to introduce audiences to artists and repertoires that might not otherwise show up on their radar. Recent social unrest and the restrictions of the COVID-19 Pandemic inspired several initiatives: Debra was a leader in reconceiving Les Délices’ concerts for the virtual space and created a webseries variety show for early music called SalonEra. Critics called the concerts “sensational,” and “a cultural gift” while SalonEra opened a world of music to audiences at home. Produced remotely, SalonEra brings together regular contributors and special guests whose personalities, perspectives, and contributions set the stage for fascinating conversations and fulfilling artistic exchange. Since Sept 2020, SalonEra premiered 29 original episodes, 80 remote musical collaborations, and created feature opportunities and paid micro-engagements for over 60 artists. In 2022-23, SalonEra anticipates producing 6 new video episodes and will launch a companion audio podcast. Les Délices’ other outreach initiatives include Early Music Explorations (a video enrichment series for students in grades 3-7) and Music Meditations (a podcast and telephone hotline combining archival performances, poetry, and prompts for guided listening). Visit www.salonera.org and www.lesdelices.org/outreach to learn more.