City College Center for the Arts honors stars at inaugural awards gala

Two-time Grammy Award winner Arturo O’Farrill was among the honorees at the City College Center for the Arts Inaugural Awards Benefit at the Aaron Davis Hall on the CCNY campus on Monday.

Themed “Celebrating the Arts and Artists,” the gala also honored actress, dancer and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade; director and screen writer Gina Prince-Bythewoodand singer-songwriter Alexa Ray Joel.

Musical highlights of the evening included a celebration concert by O’Farrill, the 2009 and 2015 Grammy Award winner for Best Latin Jazz album, who performed with his Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. There were also performances by Batoto Yetu, the Sho-Off Dance Company and Darilyn Castillo, a City College theater major.


CBS News anchorman Maurice DuBois emceed the gala which was presented by Terrance McKnight, evening host of WQXR radio.

About The City College Center for the Arts
The Center serves as a cultural hub that builds a sense of community both within the school and its surrounding neighborhood, while inspiring creativity and diversity. It also provides a premier venue for local and national performers and for art patrons in the tri-state area. 

About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided low-cost, high-quality education for New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. More than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences;the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture;the School of Education;the Grove School of Engineering;the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, and the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership. U.S. News, Princeton Review and Forbes all rank City College among the best colleges and universities in the United States.


 

MEDIA CONTACT

Jay Mwamba
p: 212.650.7580
e: jmwamba@ccny.cuny.edu