Percussionist and composer John Bacon, an adjunct instructor and alumnus of the Fredonia School of Music, has received a New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Fellowship in Music/Sound.
He has been a mainstay of the music scene in Western New York for over 25 years, performing with artists including Lester Bowie, Roswell Rudd, Bobby Previte, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Bobby Militello, as a featured soloist with the SUNY Fredonia percussion ensemble, and most recently, with Arturo Sandoval during Mr. Sandoval's recent residency in the School of Music. Bacon's teaching duties at SUNY Fredonia include percussion lessons, music theory and directing the Fredonia Latin Jazz Ensemble.
A total of $637,000 was awarded to 91 artists or collaborative teams in the disciplines of Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design, Choreography, Music/Sound, Photography and Playwriting/Screenwriting. Only 3 percent of the applicants receive the prestigious honor. The program is open to artists at all stages in their careers and each Fellow or team receives an unrestricted cash grant of $7,000 to use in any way they desire to further their creative work.
First launched in 1985, NYFA’s Artist Fellowship Program, has provided over $27 million in unrestricted cash grants to artists in 15 disciplines at critical stages in their careers. Awards are made in five disciplines a year on a triennial basis. Past recipients include the winners of five Academy Awards, five Tony Awards, eight Pulitzer Prizes and 17 MacArthur “Genius” Fellowships.
“We are so grateful to the New York State Council on the Arts and our other funders for making it possible for us to administer this award which has such a significant impact on the lives of artists throughout the state,” said NYFA Executive Director Michael L. Royce. “By giving artists the support they need, we all get to enjoy, learn from and be inspired by the fruits of their labors.”
NYFA’s 2013 Artists’ Fellowships are administered by NYFA with leadership support from the New York State Council on the Arts. Additional support is provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, the Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation and one anonymous donor.
