The St. Joseph-born classical guitarist, composer and author, Anthony GLISE, has just been cited as recipient of the 2006 Individual Artist of the Year Award by the Missouri Arts Council.
The state’s highest honor in the arts, this the first time a classical guitarist has been honored with this prestigious state-wide award and the first time anyone from the St. Joseph area has been cited for the Individual Artist Award.
The award ceremony will take place February 8, 2006 at a formal ceremony in Missouri’s State Capital Rotunda in Jefferson City and the award will be presented by governor, The Honorable Roy Blunt and First Lady, Melanie Blunt.
Teresa Fankhauser, Executive Director of the Allied Arts Council of St. Joseph said, “The Council is delighted the Missouri Arts Council chose to honor Anthony as the 2006 outstanding Missouri artist. He is a gifted instrumentalist and composer who shares his love of music with students and art patrons alike. His devotion to the cultural exchange of music has brought St. Joseph national and international attention. Through his connections, St. Joseph has welcomed world-class artists to our community. We are truly blessed to have Anthony as one of St. Joseph’s citizens.”
Fankhauser’s sentiments were echoed by Glise. “Naturally I’m thrilled with this award but it goes much further than just the award: this will help us gain regional and national attention for Missouri Western, all of Northwest Missouri and the tremendous guitar and arts communities in our state.”
“There are unbelievably large artistic centers throughout Missouri,” said Glise “and I hope that this award is just the first step toward a well-earned international recognition for all of us working in Missouri.”
The selection board, made up of music and arts activists throughout the state, cited many reasons for Glise’s selection, including his work in developing the guitar department at Missouri Western State University into one of the largest guitar programs in the US, his founding and directorship of the St. Joseph International Guitar Festival and several other festivals in Europe as well as numerous other professional, commercial and volunteer arts activities.
They also cited Glise’s ongoing work in directing international exchanges between musical ensembles and soloists in Northwest Missouri with his various colleagues throughout Europe where Glise maintains a second home in Northern France.