NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Oct. 6, 2009
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Ann Dee Lee
Public Information Director
Oklahoma Arts Council
(405) 521-2931
anndee@arts.ok.gov
KYLE DILLINGHAM TO RECEIVE
GOVERNOR’S ARTS AWARD
Oklahoma City, OK – Kyle Dillingham, Oklahoma City, will be honored by Governor Brad Henry at the 34th Annual Governor’s Arts Awards. A violinist, vocalist and Ambassador in Residence at the University of Central Oklahoma, Dillingham will receive a Special Recognition Award for his ability to connect to people from around the world through his music.
Sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council, 16 individuals and five organizations will be honored for their contributions to the arts in their communities or throughout the state. The ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 20th in the 4th Floor Rotunda of the State Capitol and is open to the public. Presiding at the ceremony will be Council Chair Kym Koch Thompson and Oklahoma Arts Council Executive Director Suzanne Tate. A reception on the first floor of the Capitol will follow the 4 p.m. ceremony.
Born in Enid, Dillingham picked up the violin when he was nine. When he was 17, he performed on the stage of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry including a performance with the father of American Bluegrass, Bill Monroe. Though he had an attractive offer to continue in Nashville, he always believed that his musical talents could serve Oklahoma best by staying in Oklahoma. After graduating with a Bachelors of Music Performance from Oklahoma City University, he was named OCU’s ambassador.
His band, Horseshoe Road, was sponsored by the U.S. government to travel to Japan and Thailand as the only recorded International Oklahoma Centennial Event. Dillingham has helped develop more than 30 relationships between universities in Oklahoma and universities overseas and increased the visibility of the State of Oklahoma in 29 countries. He performed for Singapore’s National Day Celebration. And, he performed for the Beijing Music Conservatory where he was televised throughout all of China. A frequent visitor to Washington D.C, he has performed for the Japanese, Thailand, Romanian, and Saudi Arabian Ambassadors, to name a few.
Dillingham plays everything from classical and bluegrass to Western Swing and gypsy jazz and proudly represents his home state around the world by performing on a violin made by Norman’s own Roland "Rocky" A. Werning. He has played for over a hundred charity events in Oklahoma and performed for the launching of the University of Central Oklahoma’s Centre for Global Competency where he took the stage with National Geographic Journalist, Lisa Ling. He has conducted musical workshops and performances in more than 50 schools across the state.
A complete list of Governor’s Arts Awards recipients and their photos are available at www.arts.ok.gov. For more information about the Governor’s Arts Awards, please contact Ann Dee Lee at (405) 521-2931 or at anndee@arts.ok.gov.
ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA ARTS COUNCIL
The Oklahoma Arts Council is a state agency whose mission is to improve lives through the arts by promoting and sustaining the development of a thriving arts environment, which is essential to quality of life, education and economic vitality for all Oklahomans.
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