Originally from Charleston, SC, Eric became passionate about classical music and dance at an early age, inspired by the Spoleto Festival. After graduating from the College of Charleston in Theatre Eric furthered his studies at the Alvin Ailey and Martha Graham Dance Schools on scholarship in New York City.
As an Associate Choreographer, Eric worked on Everyday Rapture Broadway, Little House on the Prairie, We The People, Happy Days! The Musical National Tours, My Fair Lady, Most Happy Fella! Lincoln Center, and Bells Are Ringing at Encores. As a Choreographer World Premieres include Musicals by: Jeanine Tesori The Lion, The Unicorn, and Me; Frank Wildhorn Artus! Excalibur; Ben Moore Odyssey; and XSBN- China’s Princess Butterfly. The Kennedy Center Choreographic credits include; Porgy and Bess, Samson and Delilah, Candide, West Side Story, The Little Prince, Florencia en el Amazonas, La Forza del Destino. Eric is currently in his 9th Season at the Glimmerglass Festival and in collaboration with Director Francesca Zambello as her Head of Stage Movement and Choreography. Eric has also created productions for: Atlantic Theatre II, Opera Bordeaux, Chicago Lyric Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera Kansas City, Los Angeles Opera, Metropolitan Museum, Milan Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week, Opera Philadelphia, Paris Fashion Week, Seattle Opera, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Théâtre du Capitole, Theater St. Gallen, and Washington National Opera.
Alumni Award for AchievementMichael Ann Wilson ’04
Michael Ann Wilson has committed her career to serving others, particularly artists. Currently Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Director of Company Operations & Touring, her primary responsibilities include budget management, union relations, contract negotiations, foreign artist taxes and visas, long-range planning, workers compensation and wellness, and tour execution. Before relocating to the West Coast in 2012, she served as Manager of Dance Programming at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and General Manager of The Kennedy Center’s ballet company, The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. During her eight season tenure at The Kennedy Center Michael Ann also produced the Local Dance Commissioning Project, an annual granting program supporting the creation of new work by artists from the Maryland/Virginia/DC region. Michael Ann proudly earned a Bachelor’s degree in Arts Management from the College of Charleston accompanied by a minor study in Dance (’04). During her treasured tenure at CofC, Michael Ann also taught dance at Ashely River Creative Arts Elementary School, was a member of the Chi Omega Fraternity as well as the Robert Ivey Ballet. She also spent her senior year interning with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Michael Ann is a Maryland 4-H All-Star and an active member of Dance/USA, the nation’s service organization for professional dance; and a Board Member of Seattle’s Accelerator YMCA branch which provides holistic support to young people and their families who have experienced trauma.
Michael Ann was selected to participate in Arts Presenters’ Emerging Leaders Institute (’08), Dance/USA’s Institute for Leadership Training (’13), AMEX Leadership Academy (’14), and the AMEX Leadership Academy Alumni Summit (’18). Michael Ann has also served as a grant panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts (Dance) and Dance/USA’s Engaging Dance Audiences program. Michael Ann is co-founder of Dance/USA’s Company Management Affinity Group which connects colleagues from across the country for learning and sharing. Michael Ann resides in Seattle where her family enjoys supporting the city’s rich cultural scene as well as Seahawks football.
Ginger Vallen is the Director of Special Events at Carnegie Hall, where she oversees the planning, production, and execution of approximately forty annual events, including fundraising galas, stewardship cultivation events, and membership appreciation functions. In addition to supporting the day-to-day operations of the Hall, money raised from these events is used to fund Carnegie Hall’s artistic, education, and social impact programs on a local, national, and international scale. Over the course of her time at Carnegie Hall, Ginger has been fortunate enough to collaborate on events featuring artists and musicians as varied as Sting, James Taylor, Audra McDonald, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma and Gustavo Dudamel, to name a few. Prior to joining Carnegie Hall, Ginger worked as a Special Events Associate at Broadway’s Roundabout Theater Company where she was responsible for planning opening night cast parties and gala performances, as well as raising funds for Roundabout’s philanthropic endeavors. Additionally, she has worked on live events with MTV (specifically the Video Music Awards) and the Drama League. Ginger’s career truly began during her time as a student at the College of Charleston, where she was able to supplement her education with real-world experience including interning with Charleston’s own Theater 99, Spoleto Festival, and the City of Charleston’s Office of Cultural Affairs. She is a 2005 graduate of CofC with a Bachelor of Art degree in Arts Management and minors in Theatre and Film Studies.
Lauren Frances Evans currently lives and works in Birmingham, Alabama, where she is an Assistant Professor of Art at Samford University. Evans is a 2011 graduate of the Honors College at College of Charleston with degrees in both Business Administration and Studio Art. She received an MFA from the University of Maryland and has participated in artist residencies at Franconia Sculpture Park, Elsewhere Living Museum, and the Vermont Studio Center. In 2014, Evans was a recipient of the International Sculpture Center’s Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award, and the following year she received an Artist Project Grant from the Iowa Arts Council. While living in Iowa, Evans worked as the Visual Arts Coordinator for the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, served as the artist in residence for the Iowa City Community School District, was the curator of the Times Club Gallery at Prairie Lights bookstore, and also taught courses at both the University of Iowa and Grinnell College.
