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Academy Awards

The Tennessee Arts Academy honors individuals and organizations each year in a variety of categories during the Bravo Awards Banquet and Performance and during the TAA Finale luncheon. Current and previous award winners are listed below, as well as descriptions of each award category.

2026 Tennessee Arts Academy Award Recipients
Please check back regularly for updates and information about the 2026 Tennessee Arts Academy.
2026 TAA Arts Rich Schools of the Year Award Winners
Please check back regularly for updates and information about the 2026 Tennessee Arts Academy.
Rozelle Elementary School for Creative and Performing Arts
2025 TAA Arts Rich Elementary School of the Year Award
Bravo Awards Banquet and Performance
MTSU Student Union Grand Ballroom
6:30 pm
 - 
July 16, 2025

Rozelle Elementary School for Creative and Performing Arts, located in Memphis, Tennessee, is a vibrant institution dedicated to nurturing both academic excellence and artistic talent. As part of the Shelby County Schools district, Rozelle offers a unique Creative and Performing Arts program that integrates arts education into the core curriculum. Students have the opportunity to explore their passions through activities such as dance, drama, music, strings, visual arts, and more. The school earned significant accolades as a Model School in 2024, and since becoming a 2024 Arts Rich School of Merit, has been named a Model School and a 2025 Magnet School of Distinction for commitment to excellence in education and the arts. These honors underscore Rozelle's dedication to fostering a love for creativity and learning. Rozelle has demonstrated significant academic growth over the past few years. In 2022, Rozelle was designated as a Level 5 Reward school by the Tennessee Department of Education for academic growth. Emphasizing a culture of respect, responsibility, and readiness, the school inspires students to excel academically while encouraging creativity and self-expression. Rozelle Elementary’s holistic approach ensures that students are prepared to become future leaders, innovators, and positive contributors to their community. With its focus on academic rigor and artistic excellence, Rozelle Elementary continues to shine as a beacon of inspiration and opportunity for young learners.

South Doyle Middle School
2025 TAA Arts Rich Middle School of the Year Award
Bravo Awards Banquet and Performance
MTSU Student Union Grand Ballroom
6:30 pm
 - 
July 16, 2025

South Doyle Middle School (SDMS), located “south of the river” in Knoxville, Tennessee, is a Title I school serving approximately 800 students in grades six through eight. The faculty includes specialists in academics, special education, English language learning, and the related arts. SDMS’s mission is to become a magnet that draws people to the community and a foundation for residents of South Knoxville. Its vision emphasizes creating a culture of belonging and engagement to support students’ academic and social growth. The faculty includes specialists in academics, special education, English language learning, and the related arts. The school’s daily KEE Time develops the core behaviors of Kindness, Energy, and Effort. All students participate in daily related arts classes, choosing from more than thirteen options, including chorus, band, beginner guitar, general music, performance arts, and news production. After-school offerings such as honors band, art club, ensemble, and Cherokee Singers expand access to creative learning. The SHADES after-school program further enhances engagement through STEM, culinary arts, and media workshops. Students regularly participate in local area arts events and various music competitions and showcases. Serving a richly diverse student body, SDMS values inclusive practices that reflect its commitment to equity and belonging. The school’s dedicated and collaborative team of professionals recognize the role of the arts in supporting students’ cognitive, emotional, and academic growth and is dedicated to providing meaningful opportunities that connect students with their community and the world.

Collierville High School
2025 TAA Arts Rich High School of the Year Award
Bravo Awards Banquet and Performance
MTSU Student Union Grand Ballroom
6:30 pm
 - 
July 16, 2025

Collierville High School’s diverse population remains steadfast in upholding the district’s core values of scholarship, integrity, and service. The school, located in Collierville, Tennessee, strives for academic excellence, fostering a love for learning that shapes the students’ futures. The commitment to integrity ensures that the school’s actions are guided by honesty, responsibility, and ethical conduct. Dedication to service, an emphasis on the importance of the fine arts, fostering artistic literacy, and a commitment to offer an extensive range of arts classes provides students with opportunities for growth and challenge in their artistic pursuits. The requirement for all students to take at least one year of fine arts classes ensures that every student can explore their creativity and develop skills in the arts. Sixty-six percent of the student body is engaged in the arts. A high percentage of students continue to advanced classes, including honors and AP courses. Community involvement in performances, competitions, and shows not only supports and celebrates the achievements of students, but also fosters connections between the school and the community. In the past year, students participated in approximately 123 community art opportunities. These performances and contests provide valuable experiences for students to share their talents and passion for the arts with others. The Collierville High School Fine Arts Department is making significant strides in fulfilling its mission to cultivate artistically literate students who are actively engaged in the arts as lifelong learners.

Tennessee Arts Academy Awards
Arts Leadership Award of Excellence
is presented to an individual or group who has achieved a unique milestone in the arts that deserves recognition and honor.

Distinguished Service Award
is presented to an American whose work stands as a monument to the importance of the arts in the lives of all people.

Joe W. Giles Lifetime Achievement Award
is conferred upon a Tennessee teacher, whose life's work is widely acknowledged to have positively influenced the role of the arts in education, thereby benefiting the students of Tennessee's schools.

Lamar Alexander Founder's Award of Distinction
is presented to an individual whose meritorious accomplishments in the fields of education and the arts have profoundly impacted American culture and life.

Lorin Hollander Award
is given to a Tennessean whose influence has benefited arts education in general and/or the Tennessee Arts Academy in particular. This award is named in honor of internationally renowned concert pianist Lorin Hollander, a special friend of the Academy.

Partner in the Arts Award
honors an individual or business whose generosity and support have contributed in sustained and significant ways to the success of the Tennessee Arts Academy's mission.

Spirit of Tennessee Award
recognizes an individual or group whose work exemplifies the highest standards of artistic endeavor and brings positive recognition to the place of the arts in the lives of Tennesseans.
Previous Recipients
Joe W. Giles Lifetime Achievement Award
1995 Joseph Edward Hodges, Crossville
1996 Freda Kenner, Bells
1996 Sue Blass, Jackson
1997 Elizabeth Rike, Knoxville
1997 Celia Bachelder, Kingsport
1998 James Charles Mills, Johnson City
1998 Gene Crain, Memphis
1999 Patricia Brown, Knoxville
2000 Robert Pletcher, Nashville
2000 Kathy Hawk, Kingsport
2001 Tommie Pardue, Memphis
2001 Tully Daniel, Memphis (awarded posthumously)
2004 Marilyn duBrisk, Greeneville
2004 Bobby Jean Frost, Nashville
2005 Nancy Boone-Allsbrook, Murfreesboro
2005 Sally Crain Jager, Cookeville
2006 Michael Combs, Knoxville
2006 Jean R. Thomas, Chattanooga
2006 Mitchell Van Metre, Knoxville
2007 David Logan, Johnson City
2010 James R. Holcomb, Memphis
2011 Flowerree W. (Galetovic) McDonough, Knoxville
2011 Joe W. Giles, Nashville
2012 Richard Mitchell, Knoxville
2013 Carol Crittenden, Nashville
2014 Fred Patterson, Knoxville
2015 Gregg Coats, Memphis
2016 Ted Rose, Lebanon
2017 Margaret Campbelle-Holman, Nashville
2018 Linda Wilson Miller, Paris
2019 Donna Anderson, Knoxville
2022 Madeline Bridges, Nashville
2023 Melody Weintraub, Memphis
2024 Blanche Pope Tosh, Memphis
2025 Ronald S. Meers, Murfreesboro
Lorin Hollander Award
1994 Cavit Cheshier, education executive
1995 Steven Cohen, state senator
1996 Nellie McNeil, teacher and advocate
1997 Tom L. Naylor, music educator and administrator
1998 T. Earl Hinton, music educator
1999 Jane Walters, educator and arts advocate
2000 Martha McCrory, music educator
2001 Solie Fott, music educator
2008 Jeanette Crosswhite, arts education administrator
2013 Pat and Thane Smith, arts patrons and philanthropists
2014 Cindy Freeman and Michael Meise, music educators and arts advocates
2022 Marion and Stephen Coleman, music educators and arts advocates
Spirit of Tennessee Award
2000 Wilma Dykeman, writer
2001 Jim Crabtree, theatre director and writer
2002 Alice Swanson, arts education administrator and advocate
2003 George Mabry, choral conductor
2006 Dolph Smith, visual artist
2009 George S. Clinton, Hollywood film composer
2009 Jackie Nichols, theatre administrator
2009 Michael Stern, symphony conductor
2010 Charles Brindley, visual artist
2015 Cherry Jones, Broadway actress
2022 Aaron Lazar, Broadway, film, and television actor
Arts Leadership Award of Excellence
2013 E. Frank Bluestein, Germantown
2015 Music Makes Us, Nashville
2016 Belmont University, Nashville
2023 Tiffany Kerns and CMA Foundation, Nashville
Lamar Alexander Founder's Award of Distinction
2013 Senator Lamar Alexander, United States Senator  
2014 Douglas Henry, Tennessee State Senator
2017 Bill Haslam, Tennessee Governor
Distinguished Service Award
1994 Charles Strouse, Broadway composer
1995 Charles Fowler, arts educator, writer and advocate
1996 Jerome Lawrence, playwright
1997 Lorin Hollander, concert pianist and philosopher
2000 Scott Ellis, Broadway theatre director
2000 Mary Costa, opera singer
2001 Sheldon Harnick, Broadway lyricist
2001 Tina Packer, Shakespeare actor and director
2003 Bob McGrath, singer and host of Sesame Street
2005 John Simon, author and arts critic
2005 Dean Pitchford, songwriter, lyricist, screenwriter, and director
2006 Andre Thomas, choral conductor
2007 Joe DiPietro, Broadway playwright and lyricist
2008 Henry Krieger, Broadway composer
2011 Marvin Hamlisch, composer and pianist
2012 Richard Sherman, composer and lyricist
2013 Marc Cherry, Hollywood writer and producer
2014 Rupert Holmes, playwright, composer, and lyricist
2015 Richard Maltby, Jr., director, lyricist, producer, writer
2016 Audrey Flack, painter and sculptor
2016 Andrew Lippa, composer, lyricist, performer, and writer
2016 Doc Severinsen, musician and bandleader
2017 Christopher Durang, Broadway playwright
2018 Tony Walton, Broadway set and costume designer
2019 Jeff Calhoun, Broadway choreographer, dancer, and director
2022 Harolyn Blackwell, opera singer and Broadway performer
2023 David Yazbek, composer, lyricist, performer, and writer
2024 Jerry Zaks, Broadway director
2025 Victoria Clark, Broadway actor, director, educator

Partner in the Arts Award
2008 Steve Spiegel, president of Theatrical Rights Worldwide

Check Back Regularly for 2026 Tennessee Arts Academy Information and Updates
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