Artists

Julian Schwarz has been heralded from a young age as a cellist destined to rank among the greatest of the 21st century, Julian’s powerful tone, effortless virtuosity, and extraordinarily large color palette are hallmarks of his style. After making his concerto debut at the age of 11 with the Seattle Symphony, he made his US touring debut with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2010. Since being awarded first prize at the inaugural Schoenfeld International String Competition in Hong Kong, he has led an active career as a soloist with many American orchestras. Internationally, he made his Australian debut with the Queensland Symphony, his Mexican debuts with the Boca del Rio Philharmonic in Veracruz and the Mexico City Philharmonic with frequent collaborator Jorge Mester.

Internationally recognized for his moving performances, innovative programming and extensive catalogue of recordings, American conductor Gerard Schwarz serves as Music Director of the All-Star Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival, Palm Beach Symphony, and Mozart Orchestra of New York and is Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony and Conductor Emeritus of the Mostly Mozart Festival. In his nearly five decades as a respected classical musician and conductor, Schwarz has received hundreds of honors and accolades including Emmy Awards, GRAMMY nominations, ASCAP Awards and the Ditson Conductor’s Award. He was the first American named Conductor of the Year by Musical America and has received numerous honorary doctorates.

Maestro Salvador Brotons, currently in his 35th season as the Music Director and Conductor of the VSO. In addition to the VSO, he has been the Music Director and Conductor of the Orquestra Simfònica de les Illes Balears “Ciutat de Palma” (1997-2001, 2009-2013) and the Orquestra Sinfónica del Vallés (1997-2002). He is presently the Conductor of the Barcelona Symphonic Band. In 2005, he received the Arts Council award from Clark County and the City of Vancouver as well as the Kiwanis Rose Award. He has guest conducted orchestras in countries such as the U.S., Israel, France, Germany, China, Poland, South Korea, Mexico, Uruguay, and Colombia.

Community, collaboration and inclusion were the themes of the 2025 Festival Art Exhibit held at the Hilton Vancouver. Congratulations to the 5 award-recipients: Stephanie Joy Mitchell, Brandy Agun, Janine Littrell and Alison Berkey who were awarded People’s Choice, Mayor’s Choice and 3 Juror’s Choice awards.

People’s Choice: Stephanie Joy Mitchell for “Untitled”

About 860 people cast their votes for People’s Choice over a 2-day period. Stephanie Joy Mitchell gained the most votes with her graphite illustration depicting the detailed aged face of an elderly man. In her statement, Stephanie shared “Celebrating our elders on paper is an honor and my hope is that the viewer gets a sense of their beauty, wisdom, and the lifetime of energy spent nurturing, educating, building up the people and world around us.”

Mayor’s Choice: Brandy Agun for “Lovely Day at the Zoo”

The Mayor’s Choice Award went to Brandy Agun for her work “Lovely Day at the Zoo,” depicting an imagined community scene of people enjoying a day outdoors in a park-like atmosphere. Brandy was unable to attend the award ceremony, but her parents were present and were overjoyed to collect the award and pass on the good news.

Jurors Choice: Alison Berkey (Straight, to the Right), Janine Littrell (Mother Earth) and Lisa Raymer (All are Welcome)

Jurors Stevie Woods, Christian Barrios and Nathan Orosco selected works by Alison Berkey, Janine Littrell and Lisa Raymer respectively. Berkey’s imaginative work “Straight, to the Right.” was celebrated for it’s current and youthful approach to the theme of inclusion. Littrell was commended for her ability to embrace nature as the foundation of our community, in her ceramic vessel “Mother Earth” that held delicate butterflies within it’s walls. Raymer was recognized for her exceptional colored pencil work “All are Welcome,” which embraces the uniqueness that exists within us and collectively makes the whole more rewarding.

Thank you to the sponsors: Johnson Bixby and Integrated Tax Services, Art at the Cave, Connie and Lee Kearney, Cascadia Development

Thank you jurors: Nathan Orosco, Stevie Woods and Christian Barrios

Thanks to everyone who participated, voted, visited the 2025 Festival Art Exhibit!