2024 Cleveland Arts Prize Winners: Ronald and Eugenia Strauss Awarded The Martha Joseph Prize for Distinguished Service to the Arts
(via Cleveland Arts Prize)
Cleveland, OH – July 26— The Cleveland Arts Prize (CAP) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024 Cleveland Arts Prize, celebrating outstanding artistic talent and significant contributions to the arts community in Northeast Ohio. This year’s winners highlight the diversity and richness of the region’s cultural landscape, with achievements spanning various artistic disciplines.
Martha Joseph Prize for Distinguished Service to the Arts: Ronald and Eugenia Strauss (Founders, CityMusic)
The Martha Joseph Prize is awarded to an individual or an organization that has made a significant contribution to the vitality and stature of the arts in northeast Ohio through exceptional commitment, vision, leadership, and/or philanthropy.
Dr. Ronald and Eugenia Strauss are the founders of CityMusic Cleveland, a professional chamber orchestra dedicated to making classical music accessible through free concerts and innovative programming. In 1976, they moved to Cleveland for Dr. Strauss’ residency at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospitals and have since become prominent figures in the local arts community. Eugenia has a rich history of involvement with the Women’s Committee of the Cleveland Ballet Company, Dance Cleveland, the National Theater for the Deaf, and the Cleveland School of the Arts, where she served as development director for nine years. She also chaired the board of the renowned Pilobolus Dance Company, located in Connecticut, for nine years.
Inspired by Cleveland Arts Prize winner Jeannette Sorrell, founder and musical director of Cleveland’s Apollo’s Fire, Eugenia and Ronald founded CityMusic Cleveland in 2004. The organization is dedicated to eliminating barriers to classical music by offering free concerts and engaging with diverse communities across Northeast Ohio. CityMusic Cleveland not only presents top-tier performances but also focuses on arts education through initiatives like the Clurie Bennis Children’s Outreach Series, which provides interactive arts programs in underserved Cleveland neighborhoods. Dr. Strauss, a devoted amateur violinist, serves as President of the Board, and together with Eugenia, who served as Executive Director until her retirement, they have enriched the cultural landscape of Northeast Ohio.
The Strausses reside in Cleveland Heights and are proud parents of three daughters and doting grandparents of six.
Join us in celebrating this year’s winners at the Annual Awards Event on Thursday, October 24, 2024, at Cuyahoga Community College East Campus beginning at 6:30 PM. The event will feature performances by past winners including “Next to Normal” Tony Award-winning actress, performer and composer Alice Ripley (CAP 2019), the Ohio Contemporary Ballet performing 1995 CAP winner Heinz Poll’s choreography, and 2024 Verge Fellowship winner TJ Maclin (aka Peachcurls) performing his original music. Tickets are available at www.clevelandartsprize.org.
For more information about the Cleveland Arts Prize and to purchase tickets for the Annual Awards Event, please visit www.clevelandartsprize.org.
About Cleveland Arts Prize: Founded in 1960, the Cleveland Arts Prize is the nation’s oldest municipal arts award, celebrating artistic excellence and supporting the creative community in Northeast Ohio. Through its awards and programs, the Cleveland Arts Prize honors artists and arts advocates who have made significant contributions to the region’s cultural landscape.