Texas Medical Center Orchestra and Conductor Libi Lebel selected as HONORED ARTISTS of The American Prize, 2025
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TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER ORCHESTRA and Conductor LIBI LEBEL have been selected as an Honored Artists of The American Prize, 2025. Honored Artists are individuals (or ensembles) who have proven themselves to be of "sustained excellence" over a number of seasons as laureates of The American Prize competitions. Presented by The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, the award consists of a beautifully framed citation recognizing the honoree's contributions to the art.
The recognition was announced as part of The American Prize annual Independence Day Honors, July 4, 2025, at which time acclaimed American Vocal Artist, Opera Director & Philanthropist, DENYCE GRAVES received the National Arts Award, while composers ADRIENNE ALBERT and MARTIN HEBEL, trumpeter CHRIS GEKKER, conductors CAROLYN WATSON and LIBI LEBEL and the TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER ORCHESTRA were recognized as the 2025 class of Honored Artists. To see the complete list of 2025 INDEPENDENCE DAY HONORS, please follow this link: https://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/2025/07/independence-day-honors-2025the.html
The Texas Medical Center Orchestra (TMCO), founded in 2000 by the visionary Maestra Libi Lebel, has emerged as a beacon of artistic excellence and community impact. What began as a gathering of healthcare professionals swapping stethoscopes for instruments has blossomed into one of Houston's most esteemed cultural institutions. TMCO is known as one of the finest community orchestras in the nation, consistently winning top prizes in The American Prize national competitions, community orchestra division. From its humble beginnings in hospital conference rooms to its status as a celebrated ensemble, TMCO has remained true to its mission of harnessing the healing power of music. Under the direction of Maestra Lebel, TMCO has garnered acclaim both locally and nationally. Voted the Best Community Orchestra in Houston and a recipient of awards of The American Prize since 2017, TMCO has captivated audiences with its exceptional performances and innovative programming.
Libi Lebel is an award-winning conductor, educator, and arts advocate whose extraordinary contributions have shaped the cultural landscape of Houston for over two decades. As the founder and artistic director of the Texas Medical Center Orchestra (TMCO), she has harnessed the power of music to inspire, heal, and unite communities. Under her leadership, TMCO has become one of the nation’s leading community orchestras and was voted Best Community Orchestra in Houston, serving as a cultural bridge between the medical community and the public, fostering wellness, unity, and connection through music. She founded TMCO in 2000 to offer healthcare professionals a creative outlet and has since led the orchestra to national recognition—including its Carnegie Hall debut in 2013 and First Prize in The American Prize’s community orchestra division in 2017, with additional honors from The American Prize in the years since. To learn more about conductor LIBI LEBEL, please visit: https://www.libilebelconductor.com/
The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation's most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts. The American Prize is unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, directors, ensembles and composers in the United States at professional, college/university, community and high school levels, based on submitted recordings. Now in its fifteenth year, The American Prize was founded in 2010 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts. Thousands of artists from all fifty states have derived benefit from their participation in the contests of The American Prize, representing literally hundreds of communities and arts organizations across the nation.
Learn More: https://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/2025/07/texas-medical-center-orchestra-and.html
