Stars of today and tomorrow

The seventh annual Mayor's Celebration of the Arts Awards coming this Friday evening is a chance to party with some of St. Albert's most versatile artistic talents.

In a first for the awards ceremony, it is partnering with Night of Artists to create a three-day extravaganza running March 6 to 8 at the Enjoy Centre.

This year's award night host is actor Clinton Carew, a well-known Edmonton actor-director who operates Heights Residential, an artist-owned-and-operated window washing company that plied its service in St. Albert for the past decade.

Chairman Mark Moran wanted to hook the audience with a cabaret style setting hosted by a quirky, eccentric master of ceremonies in the vein of actor Jim Broadbent's character Harold Zidler, owner and impresario of the Moulin Rouge.

"We called Clinton and he was enthusiastic about doing it," said Moran. Carew is pulling all the show elements together for a night of surprises and fun.

As well as rubbing elbows with some of the area's finest artists, an array of eclectic entertainment is geared to inspire and awe.

Country singers Nathan Carroll and Julia Nicholson as well as folk artist Ella Coyes, modern dancer Kirsten Tullis, St. Albert Children's Theatre alumni and Mission Hill Brass are tooting their horns. In addition New York based opera singer Lesley Dolman is flying in from New York for a performance.

But the real stars of the evening are the annual nominees. Following is a complete list of nominees.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Frances Schuchard

The 2015 award winner is Frances Schuchard, a piano teacher, choir director, music director, key supporter of St. Albert Rotary Music Festival and co-founder of Visionary College. The award is presented posthumously.

Youth Artist

Ella Coyes

Ella Coyes is a teen folk musician, singer-songwriter and music promoter of young musicians. Her soulful lyrics and intimate vocal tone qualify her as feature artist from such varying events as Amplified Youth Festival to SkirtsAfire Festival.

Julia Nicholson

The Grade 11 student at Paul Kane High is one of the city's leading country singers. She possesses an unbridled passion and connects easily with audiences. A regular at Big Valley, she is also winner of the Global Country Star Search youth category and will head to Nashville for an international competition.

Katie Fitzgerald

Katie Fitzgerald is a Grade 12 student at Paul Kane who dabbles in painting, mixed media, film, photography and musical performance. A member of the Amplify Youth Festival committee, Fitzgerald applauds St. Albert as a community that recognizes the value of arts for all ages.

Jarrett Krissa

A St. Albert Children's Theatre alumnus, Krissa began his theatrical career at the age of four in Grease. Now in the musical theatre program at MacEwan University, the triple threat performer scored the lead in Catch Me If You Can and last year received a CAPPIE Award as best supporting actor in White Christmas.

Grace Bokenfohr

Growing up in St. Albert, Bokenfohr flourishes in a wonderful learning environment that allows her to express herself as a singer, dancer and actor. A core member of SACT, she has participated in 10 shows and an additional three at the Citadel Theatre.

Risa Larmand

A dancer-choreographer, Risa Larmand is a teacher and student at DanceCo. An accomplished dancer in multiple disciplines, Larmand has also studied at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet School in New York and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York.

Emerging Artist

Lesley Dolman

A Paul Kane graduate and former violinist with Edmonton Youth Orchestra, Lesley Dolman is now a mezzo-soprano living in New York. She is working towards a master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music and has performed in numerous operas. In 2014, Dolman received gold in the vocal division at Northern Alberta Concerto Competition and performed Ravel's Schéhérazade with the EYO last year.

Shay Esposito

A two-time Edmonton Music Award nominee, indie pop music singer-songwriter Shay Esposito released her first album last year. Her music also made the finals in the United Kingdom Songwriting Contest. She writes about topics that many singers shy away from and uses her music to promote awareness for mental illness.

Caitlin Wood

Never short on talent, Caitlin Wood is a sophisticated soprano with a master's degree from the University of Toronto and is currently studying with the Vancouver Opera. She has performed in Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto and Italy and won the Western Canada District Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition.

Randy Williams

Randy Williams has a varied career as a visual artist, musician, educator and human rights advocate. He is director of a numbered corporation, and label/publisher of Archaeology Communications and Petrified Recording Studio. He performs as Geologist and is a painter-graphic artist who created graphic art for 10 albums and 35 singles.

Established Artist

Ashley Werhun

As a little girl, Ashley Werhun dreamed of being a dancer after she saw Les Ballet Jazz des Montreal perform at the Arden Theatre. She just joined Les Ballet Jazz and has the opportunity to tour nationally and internationally.

Rachelle LeBlanc

A fashion and design graduate from Sheridan College in Ontario, Rachelle LeBlanc moved to St. Albert in 2008. Her textile hooked tapestries are exhibited nationally and internationally, and most recently at the University of Connecticut Gallery and the Art Gallery of Alberta.

The Provincial Archive

A St. Albert band now based in Edmonton, The Provincial Archive is an indie-folk foursome that released three albums, toured Canada and received the 2014 Edmonton Music Prize. Fronted by hometown boy Craig Schram, the band's music comes from experiences growing up on the prairie.

Excellence in Arts Teaching

Curtis Labelle

The Canadian pianist is a welcome fixture at Visionary College teaching and directing musicals. Labelle has composed music for movies, musicals and radio and has worked as a musical director both above and below the 49th parallel. He has taught students for 18 years, the last five within St. Albert.

Harvey Kucher

A late starter in the area of painting, Harvey Kucher has found teaching art to seniors at the St. Albert 50 Plus Club one of the most enriching experiences of his life. One testimonial read, "Harvey, by his overall sincere and friendly demeanor has instilled in myself and many students, his own belief that painting is good for the soul."

Carolyn Garritano

A mother of four, Carolyn Garritano has taught piano for 23 years to students from ages four to 81. On average she mentors 50 students per year. She also composes, creates teaching resources, runs summer music camps and participates in the St. Albert Rotary Music Festival.

Sharon Moore-Foster

A painter, sculptor and mixed media artist, Sharon Moore-Foster is an exhibiting Alberta visual artist and art educator. Holding a BFA degree from the University of Alberta as well as several post-graduate courses, Moore-Foster creates partnerships and uses her visual and literary skills to engage, provoke and elicit inquiry.

Arts Leadership

Sandra Moloney

An arts administrator with the City of St. Albert Cultural Services for over a decade, Sandra Moloney works on many projects such as fundraising to transform community spaces into theatre venues, generating funding for underprivileged children and families to participate in the arts.

Deirdre Allen

For 28 years Deirdre Allen has served as an artist, leader, volunteer and patron of the arts. After 19 years with the City of St. Albert as visual arts coordinator, Allen continues to volunteer as president of the St. Albert Place Visual Arts Council, founding member of the St. Albert Paper Arts Guild, a member of St. Albert Painters' Guild, the Visual Arts Studio Association, and the Arts and Heritage Foundation.

Miles Constable

A late visual arts bloomer, Miles Constable started lessons in 2004 at a St. Albert art school. Taking on the challenges, Constable is now on the boards of the St. Albert Painters' Guild and the Visual Arts Studio Association. Within the space of a decade, he has become a mentor and arts champion to many in the community.

Community Arts Group Award

Friends of the Northern Alberta International Children's Festival

NAICF helps bring about 50,000 people from across the province to the annual children's festival. Through Project Smile, these cheerful volunteers take artists to venues such as Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital and Elves Society to perform for people who cannot attend the festival.

St. Albert Theatre Troupe

Spearheaded by Mark McGarrigle, St. Albert Theatre Troupe successfully runs dinner theatre presentations. McGarrigle honed his craft performing in musicals and British pantomimes and appearing in commercials. A professional musician for 25 years, McGarrigle is a keen producer and puts all his skills into the theatre troupe.

St. Albert Chamber Music Society

The St. Albert Chamber Music Society, the brainchild of Nancy Watt and Don Vaugeois, fosters the talents of professional and emerging artists through the annual chamber music series. Since 2010 when the series started, it has grown into a well-established and vital part of the community's artistic culture.