Jorge Peña, veteran member of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director and co-founder of the St. Augustine Music Festival was presented with the Ann McDonald Baker Art Ventures Award.
The presentation was made in front of his colleagues in the Jacoby Symphony Hall as they prepared for the Florida Blue Masterworks Series performance on Friday, Jan.8. Peña has performed with the symphony for 23 seasons.
Peña and his wife, Jin Kim-Peña, co-founded the St. Augustine Music Festival 15 years ago. They envisioned a free classical music concert series designed to celebrate the rich artistic and cultural traditions of St. Augustine. He was determined to make the event accessible and enjoyable for all. Its mission is to “Entertain, Educate and Elevate,” and since inception, the St. Augustine Music Festival has been free of charge. Over the years, the festival has presented an array of world-renowned soloists and ensembles, while also providing a stage for talented local musicians and has been featured on NPR’s Performance Today.
“Jorge’s mastery of the viola and contributions to the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra are notable in themselves, but he has gone on to share his passion for classical music well beyond traditional audiences,” said Martha Frye Baker, Ann McDonald Baker’s daughter-in-law and chair of the board of trustees of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. “His generosity of spirit is exactly what we had in mind five years ago when we established this award to honor Ann’s devotion to making our community a better place through the arts, and Jorge is a significant contributor to that model.”
The Ann McDonald Baker Art Ventures Award recognizes an artist whose work brings distinction to Northeast Florida, and is named for the late Ann McDonald Baker, whose leadership helped create and nurture such vital cultural gems such as The Community Foundation’s Art Ventures Fund, the Arts Assembly (now the Cultural Council), Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and Greenscape, among others. As this year’s Ann McDonald Baker Art Ventures award recipient, Peña received a $15,000 unrestricted grant.
Peña serves as conductor and music director of the Golden Isles Youth Orchestra and general manager of the Coastal Symphony of Georgia in Brunswick. He has conducted master classes and coached at LaVilla School of the Arts, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and the University of North Florida. He is an instructor for the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra and was on the faculty of Prelude Chamber Music Camp.
The selection process for the Ann McDonald Baker Art Ventures Award includes a knowledgeable, anonymous panel of advisors who put forward a short list of finalists after considering a wide range of artists in all disciplines throughout the year. A selection committee (a member of the Baker family, a trustee of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, a representative from the advisory panel and The Community Foundation president) reviews the finalists and names the winner. Past recipients include Terrance Patterson, David Engdahl, Jim Draper, Louise Freshman Brown and John Bunker.
