Elder Statesman and Stateswoman of Music in Burlington

Each year, the Vermont Arts Council, in association with the Governor’s office, rec­ognizes outstanding individual and organizational contributions to the arts. Awards and citations are given to educators, artists, performers, advocates, administrators, volunteers, and scholars. In 2015 the Council will be recognizing the contributions of Vermonters in five different awards categories, as well as installing a new Poet Laureate.

The awards were presented at a celebration

held at 7 p.m. Monday, November 2, 2015 in

Alumni Hall at the Vermont College of Fine

Arts in Montpelier.

Walter Cerf Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts

William and Elizabeth Metcalfe, Burlington, met in a French class at the University of Toronto and married in 1958. From 1965 to the present—with Elizabeth most often playing piano or harpsichord, William most often conducting—they are responsible for the founding and success of four remarkable musical organizations. They founded the University of Vermont Baroque Ensemble, the Gilbert and Sullivan Singers of Vermont, and the Oriana Singers of Vermont. Oriana is now in its 34th year. William is also the co-founder of the Vermont Mozart Festival.

Elizabeth was a founding member of the Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble and performed for 30 years with the New York Chamber Soloists. At the University of Vermont, William chaired the Music, History, and Canadian Studies departments, won the Donner Medal for Canadian Studies in the U.S., and edited the American Review of Canadian Studies for 16 years.

Excerpted from the Vermont Arts Council Blog article posted September 17, 2015

Courtesy of the Vermont Arts Council

Excerpted from Fall 2015 VMTA Newsletter