A biennial competitive scholarship program which awards a total of $8,500 to instrumental students. A different instrument is selected for each program year, with a view toward students who do not have a wide range of scholarship opportunities. The recognition of the program is evident from the notable artists who have participated as Music Director and Chair of the Jury, such as Fred Sherry, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Richard Stoltzman, Joseph Alessi, and Joseph Robinson.

A biennial competitive scholarship program, alternating with the Tilden Prize, which also awards a total of $8,500 to vocal students. This musically important program also replaced and consolidated a number of smaller prize programs that NAC has been operating longer than anyone can remember. Several participants, including Dawn Upshaw, have gone on to become stars. Perhaps the Music Committee's greatest remembered pleasure was to award its 1986 Gold Medal for Achievement to the International Star Frederica Von Stade, who, as a younger woman, received an NAC scholarship.

Because there are many activities conducted by The Club's committees, access to appropriate performance space within the clubhouse is limited. The Music Committee tries to utilize its limited access for assistance to musicians in the form of run-out performances, debuts of new works, introductions of notable recordings, and incentives to the patrons and supporters of performing organizations, such as The New York Youth Symphony, "Sorceror and Apprentice," a program series which couples outstanding artists with their proteges. A favored program, it has been in hiatus for several years and is in the process of reinstatement. Innovative music is often heard at NAC. The earliest performances of "Bang on A Can" now resident at Lincoln Center, were heard in our Grand Gallery.

The Music Committee's expertise is available to all other NAC committees as requested. As among all well-oiled and artistic groups, such advice is not always sought, nor followed when it is. The foregoing is a legal disclaimer for programs which members do not like.

Since 1937, the National Arts Club has purchased subscriptions to a Metropolitan Opera Box for resale to NAC members and their guests at cost. Currently, The Club occupies Parterre Box 19 for the Thursday 2 and 3 series. Listings of available tickets are distributed to Club members on a regular basis with the Vice-Chair's contact information. Few, if any, tickets remain unsold. Current Club policy is to distribute any unsold tickets to young musicians who have participated in recent NAC Music scholarship programs and outstanding teachers.

Awards:

There are no rigid rules for selection of musical honorees. Medals may reflect accomplishment in any field of Music and any form of artistry, as well as occasional recognition of philanthropy and support. The list of Honorees is impressive, and a "mixed bag."

Music Award dinners are not used for fund-raising, and ask nothing of the honoree in return. Experienced Club members anticipate unpredictable musical experiences; rarely exactly as announced. It is not uncommon for guests and honorees to become inspired to perform by NAC’s selfless promotion of the arts, and its collegial and welcoming atmosphere. Other committees, particularly Theater/Drama, Film and Literary, often have similar experiences at their award dinners.

The Music Committee often joins with other committees and club members to enhance the diversity of artistic expression and inclusiveness which are NAC's hallmarks. Joint award recipients are not included in the Music Committee’s list of honorees on this page. Among many such events, the Music Committee and NAC Opera Box' Administration recognized Anthony Amato and the Amato Opera for presenting popularly-priced performances of the opera classics. Diva and philanthropist Licia Albanese and Conductor Eve Queller were similarly recognized for their singular contributions to the Operatic World.

Among the 60 or so others who honored our club by accepting
our Medal of Honor for Music since 1957 were:

2007 Mr. Lorin Maazel / Mr. Joshua Bell / Mr. Ornette Coleman (jazz)
2006 Ms. Marilyn Horne / Ms. Barbara Carroll (Jazz)
2005 Mr. Joseph Volpe / /Ms. Marian McPartland (Jazz)
2004 The Juiliard String Quartet / Dr. Billy Taylor (Jazz)
2003 Sir James Galway /Mr. Dave Brubeck (Jazz)
2002 Mr. John Corigliano / Mr. Jon Faddis (Jazz)
2001 Ms. Roberta Peters
2000 Mr. Daniel Barenboim
1999 Mr. Emmanuel Ax / Mr. Benny Carter (Jazz)
1998 Mr. Robert Merrill / Mr. George Shearing OBE (Jazz)
1997 Mr. André Previn
1996 Mr. Kurt Masur
1995 Mr. James D. Wolfensohn
1994 Mr. Itzhak Perlman
1993 Mr. Placido Domingo
1992 Mr. James Levine
1991 Mr. Gian Carlo Menotti / Mr. Dick Hyman (Jazz)
1990 Mr. Zubin Mehta
1989 Miss Marian Anderson
1988 Mr. Isaac Stern
1987 Mr. Gerard R. Schwarz / Mr. Benny Goodman (Jazz)
1986 Ms. Frederica von Stade
1985 Mr. Morton Gould
1984 Mr. Martin Bookspan
1983 Mr. Schuyler G. Chapin
1982 Mr. Amyas Ames and the New York Philharmonic
1981 Mr. Gunther Schuller
1980 Mr. Charles Wadsworth
1979 Mr. Robert Sherman
1978 Mr. Avery Fisher
1977 Mr. Arthur Fiedler
1976 Mr. Jack Beeson
1975 Miss Alice Tully
1974 Mr. Van Cliburn
1973 Sir Rudolf Bing
1972 Mr. Edward Cramer, BMI
1971 Mrs. Jouett Shouse
1971 Dr. George F. Seuffert
1970 Dr. Peter Mennin
1969 Mr. Richard Rodgers
1968 Mr. Leonard Bernstein
1967 Mrs. Clifton J. Muir, NFMC
1966 Mrs. Lytle Hull
1966 Mr. Richard Korn
1965 Mr. Stanley Adams, ASCAP
1964 Dr. William Schuman
1963 Mr. Paul Creston
1963 Mme. Olga Koussevitsky
1962 Dr. Howard Hanson
1961 Mrs. August Belmont
1960 Mr. Thomas Scherman
1959 Mrs. Minnie Guggenheimer
1958 Mr. Julius Rudel
1957 Dr. Herman Neumann

2005 NPR Radio Station WBGO
2003 George Wein
1995 JVC Company