Award
Handel Medallion Location New York City Country United States Presented by The City of New York , United States Reward(s) Medallion First awarded 1959
The Handel Medallion is an American award presented by the City of New York . It is the city's highest award given to individuals for their contribution to the city's intellectual and cultural life.
The award was first issued in 1959 to Virginia Portia Royall Inness-Brown , upon the 200th anniversary of the death of George Frideric Handel (1685–1759), the German-British Baroque composer, noted for his operas , oratorios , anthems and organ concertos . The award was established under New York City Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. [ 1]
Year
Recipient
Notes
1959
Virginia Portia Royall Inness-Brown (1901–1990)
1964
Sidney Poitier (1927–2022)
[ 2]
1965
Joseph B. Martinson (1914–1970)
[ 3] [ 4]
1966
David Sarnoff , Justino Diaz , and Lionel Hampton
[ 5] [ 1] [ 6]
1967
Richard Rodgers (1902–1979), William Schuman
1968
Janet D. Schenck
[ 7]
1969
Claire Raphael Reis
1970
Martha Graham , George Balanchine , Aaron Copland , Alice Tully
1971
Joseph Papp
1972
Harold Arlen , Charlie Chaplin , Elia Kazan , Dizzy Gillespie
[ 8]
1973
Duke Ellington , Melissa Hayden , Lincoln Kirstein , Beverly Sills
1974
Oratorio Society of New York
[ 9]
1975
Joshua Logan
[ 10]
1976
George Abbott , Margot Fonteyn , Agnes de Mille , Jerome Robbins
1977
Marian Anderson , Leonard Bernstein
[ 11] [ 12]
1978
Elliott Carter
1980
Marilyn Horne
[ 13]
1981
Lena Horne
1982
John Lennon
1985
Leontyne Price
1986
Alexandra Danilova , Antony Tudor
1988
Alvin Ailey
[ 14]
1989
Charles Wadsworth
1993
Robert Merrill , Arthur Mitchell
1997
Skitch Henderson (1918–2005)
[ 15]
1999
Merce Cunningham
2002
Licia Albanese , Roberta Peters
2008
Neil Simon
[ 16]
2009
Jessye Norman
[ 17]
2010
Judith Jamison
[ 18]
2011
Stephen Sondheim
[ 19]
2013
Harvey Lichtenstein
[ 20]
Years unknown:
^ a b "JUSTINO DIAZ GETS CITY CULTURE PRIZE" . timesmachine.nytimes.com . Retrieved September 15, 2022 .
^ "City Awards Poitier Cultural Prize" . The New York Times . April 21, 1964. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved September 15, 2022 .
^ Wagner files (January 12, 1965). "Text of Speech by Mayor Robert F. Wagner at Reception Meeting of the New York Shakespeare Festival" . Robert F. Wagner Documents Collection Retrieved October 27, 2104.
^ "SHUBERT OUTLETS DUE FOR A RULING; License Chief to Set Hearing on Box Offices at Macy's" . timesmachine.nytimes.com . Retrieved September 15, 2022 .
^ "ARTISTS' AWARD GIVEN TO SARNOFF; R.C.A. Chairman Also Gets City's Handel Medallion" . timesmachine.nytimes.com . Retrieved September 15, 2022 .
^ "Jazz: Hampton and Friends at Stadium" . timesmachine.nytimes.com . Retrieved September 15, 2022 .
^ "Janet D. Schenck Awarded Medal for Service to Music" . timesmachine.nytimes.com . Retrieved September 15, 2022 .
^ Gillespie, Dizzy with Al Fraser. To Be Or Not To Bop. New York: Da Capo Press. 1979.
^ "Briefs On The Arts; History of Film' At the Modern" . timesmachine.nytimes.com . Retrieved September 15, 2022 .
^ "Enchanted Evening for Joshua Logan" . timesmachine.nytimes.com . Retrieved September 15, 2022 .
^ Quindlen, Anna (February 28, 1977), "Marian Anderson Honored at 75 by Carnegie Hall Concert", The New York Times , p. 24
^ "Filled with Emotion" , The New York Times , November 22, 1977, retrieved April 15, 2012
^ "Joan Schneider Bride of Dr. Gerald Seaman; Marilyn Horne to Receive Handel Medal on the Air" . timesmachine.nytimes.com . Retrieved September 15, 2022 .
^ "Explore Our History" .
^ "Press Release Archives #722-97 Mayor Presents Handel Medallion to Skitch Hederson" . www.nyc.gov . Retrieved September 15, 2022 .
^ McElroy, Steven (November 10, 2008). "ARTS, BRIEFLY; The Mayors Awards" . The New York Times .
^ Press release (December 8, 1997). "MAYOR BLOOMBERG PRESENTS 2009 MAYOR’S AWARDS FOR ARTS & CULTURE AT FRANK SINATRA SCHOOL OF THE ARTS" . Mayor of New York City 's Press Office. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
^ "Judith Jamison to Receive Handel Medallion from Mayor Bloomberg 11/8" . Broadway World . November 1, 2010.
^ Cohen, Patricia (October 10, 2011). "Sondheim to Receive New York City Arts Honor" . The New York Times .
^ Berkvist, Robert (February 11, 2017). "Harvey Lichtenstein, Who Led Brooklyn Academy of Music's Rebirth, Dies at 87" . The New York Times .