Soloman Howard was awarded the 2021 Ambassador of the Arts on Dec. 12, 2023 during at a Legacy Society Celebration.

The ceremony had been postponed due to COVID-19.

The event featured performances by tenor Walter Pierce Pearson IV, a member of our Children of the Gospel Choir, and pianist Dr. Lester Green, and soprano Ailyn Pérez.

“What an honor it is to be named Washington Performing Arts’s 2021 Ambassador of the Arts. Washington Performing Arts is special to me for several reasons: it’s the organization that gave me the platform that I needed to thrive; I learned and grew from my experiences there; it kept me in an environment that was safe for me to express my diversity as an artist; and it put me on big stages for major moments in history across the world. Those reasons make Washington Performing Arts a part of my heart and legacy—forever,” Howard said in an official press statement.

The Washington Performing Arts Ambassador of the Arts Award honors extraordinary achievement, service, and advocacy in the performing arts by any individual. Past winners include Jessye Norman and Denyce Graves.