The university’s inaugural Performing Arts Center Prize was recently awarded at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York. UGA Performing Arts Center Director Timothy A. Bartholow presented the prize to mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, a Texas native who received her bachelor’s degree from Rice University and her master’s degree from the Juilliard School. Cooke already has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center and has appeared at the Aspen and Ravinia summer festivals. She also has performed with the Seattle Opera and is scheduled to appear with New York’s Metropolitan Opera.
Young Concert Artists was founded in 1961 by Susan Wadsworth, wife of UGA alumnus Charles Wadsworth. YCA’s mission is to discover and launch the careers of extraordinary young musicians from around the world. As the prize recipient, Cooke will appear on the Performing Arts Center’s Ramsey Concert Hall Series in the 2007–2008 season.