Ian Davidson Receives Festival Award Of Merit
The Board of Directors of the Bermuda Festival have announced that the inaugural Bermuda Festival Edgar Humann Award of Merit, to be awarded annually by the Festival, was given to Mr. Ian Davidson for his lifetime contribution to the performing arts in Bermuda.
The award was presented to Mr. Davidson by Governor John Rankin at a reception held at Government House.
Governor Rankin said, “I am delighted that Ian Davidson has become the first recipient of the Bermuda Festival Edgar Humann Award of Merit. I am aware, both from my own experience and also that of previous Governors, of the tremendous support given to the Festival by Ian over so many years.
“His dedication and enthusiasm for the Festival has been unparalleled and I have seen for myself the role that the Festival plays in bringing top class performers to Bermuda while at the same time developing artistic skills within the community. This has required both huge dedication and much hard work, for which we owe Ian much thanks. I wish him and his wife Felicité every best wish for their future endeavours.”
Chairman of the Board David Skinner said, “The award is the first of its kind for the Festival and will be given every year to a Bermudian or Bermudians who have made a marked contribution to the performing arts in Bermuda. It is named in memory of Mr. Edgar Humann, who played an integral part in getting the Festival established and who served on the Board with Ian Davidson.
“It is fitting that this first annual award goes to Mr. Davidson, whose long history with the Festival and in particular his tenure as Chairman have seen the Festival grow and expand from its inception to today.”
Executive Director of the Festival T.J. Armand said, “The annual award will definitely be a legacy project for the Festival; we are fast approaching our 44th year and Ian Davidson is certainly among the pioneers who have changed the landscape of performing arts for Bermuda. I look forward to working with the Festival Board on selecting future candidates and celebrating their lifelong achievements year after year.”
A spokesperson said, “After a professional career in public accounting Mr. Davidson joined the Board of Directors of The Festival in 2008, serving first as its Deputy Chairman, and from 2010 to 2018 as Chairman. He and his wife Felicité have been keen supporters of the performing arts in Bermuda for many years, as well as being avid members of the Festival’s audience since opening night in 1976.”
Mr. Davidson said, “Felicité and I have watched the Festival grow from strength to strength each year of its life, always renewing itself, bringing outstanding performers to our shores that with few exceptions have had broad appeal across the community. For 44 years now, we have retained the loyal support of our wide stake-holder group of sponsors, patrons, friends, volunteers and audience.
“This is in no small part attributable to the incredible focus and hard work of our dedicated office team ably led by an Executive Director and our Board of Directors. Much work has been done by many to ensure we continue to entertain, inspire and educate our audiences, in particular, our youth. In stepping down as Chairman I have every confidence in my successor, David Skinner, with whom I have worked closely on Festival business for the past several years. We also have a new Executive Director, TJ Armand, who brings a wealth of talent and experience from the real theatre world.
“Their shared commitment to advancing the role of the performing arts in our community is already bearing fruit and I have no doubt it will continue for some time to come.”
“The 44th annual Bermuda Festival lineup has been announced and the theme of the 2019 programme is Empowerment Of Women. The lineup includes Chaka Khan, The Manhattan Transfer, Heather Nova, Rebecca Faulkenberry and so much more. For the latest updates, please visit the website, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.”
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