Lincoln Center's Martin E. Segal Gala Awards Ceremony celebrates eleven outstanding young artists

NEW YORK -- The recipients of the 2015 Martin E. Segal Awards, this year, expanded to encompass nominees from all of Lincoln Center's resident organizations, were announced by Lincoln Center President Jed Bernstein. The awards will be presented at a special gala evening on the Adrienne Arsht Stage of Alice Tully Hall on March 2.

The evening will be hosted by Audra McDonald. The presenters are composer Jason Robert Brown (a former Segal Award winner), Mostly Mozart Festival Rene and Robert Belfer Music Director Louis Langre, and dancers Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild.

Each honoree will receive $7,500 to be used for career advancement and future study. The eleven 2015 Martin E. Segal winners: are pianist Inon Barnatan, (nominated by The New York Philharmonic); actor Sheldon Best (Lincoln Center Theater); soprano Julia Bullock (The Juilliard School); Escher String Quartet (Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center); soprano Ying Fang (The Metropolitan Opera); dancer Silas Farley (New York Public Library for the Performing Arts); dancer Alec Knight (School of American Ballet); dancer Claire Kretzschmar (New York City Ballet); filmmaker Matas Pieiro (Film Society of Lincoln Center); musician Camille Thurman (Jazz at Lincoln Center); and pianist Shai Wosner (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts).

In years past, two resident organizations each annually selected a promising young artist for the Award. The Awards were bestowed at an intimate luncheon in Lincoln Center's Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse. This year marks the first time that all of the organizations within Lincoln Center will participate jointly in the event.

The Martin E. Segal Awards were established in 1986 when the late philanthropist and arts leader retired as Lincoln Center Chairman. Since the first prize in 1987, the endowment that funds the Martin E. Segal Award has given nearly a quarter of a million dollars to 58 remarkable emerging artists associated with Lincoln Center. Mr. Segal passed away in August of 2012. Mr. Segal's son and daughter, Paul Segal and Susan Rai, will be in attendance.

Past Segal Award winners include pianist Jonathan Biss, the Brentano and Borromeo String Quartets, mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung, director Thomas Kail, dancer Daniel Ulbricht, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, jazz saxophonist Melissa Aldana, and conductor Xian Zhang, among many others.

Tickets start at $50 (award show only). $150 tickets include a one-hour pre-show champagne reception. $2500 tickets include pre-show champagne reception and an intimate post-show dinner.

For award show only tickets, visit LincolnCenter.org/SegalAwards.

For the gala evening tickets please call the special events office at 212-875-5462.