Producer of Academy Award-winning, animated film “Frozen,” Peter Del Vecho, among other alums, to be honored for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the arts — September 19th
Boston, MA – In marking its 60th Anniversary, the College of Fine Arts at Boston University is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2014 Distinguished Alumni Awards, the most prestigious awards conferred by the College.
Emceed by Tony-nominated Theatre and Television Actor, David Garrison (CFA ‘74), the 2014 award recipients will be honored for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the arts on the evening of September 19th in conjunction with Boston University Alumni Weekend 2014.
College of Fine Arts — 2014 Distinguished Alumni Awards
Date: Friday, September 19, 2014 (6pm Cocktail Reception, 7pm Awards Presentation)
Recipients: Peter Del Vecho (CFA ‘80) — the Academy Award-winning Producer of Frozen
Frank Ginsberg (CFA ‘65) — Founder, Chairman, and CEO, AFG&
Phyllis Elhady Hoffman (CFA ‘61, ‘67) — School of Music Professor, and longtime Director of the Boston University Tanglewood Institute
Emcee: David Garrison (CFA ‘74) — Tony-nominated Theater and Television Actor
Venue: 808 Gallery (808 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215)
Peter Del Vecho (CFA ‘80) was most recently the producer of Walt Disney Animation Studios Frozen, for which he received the Academy Award® for “Best Animated Feature”, as well as the Producer’s Guild Award for “Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures.” A Boston native, Del Vecho joined Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1995 bringing a wealth of production experience from theaters in New York and on the East Coast, including Guthrie Theater. While working at Disney, Del Vecho was the production manager of Hercules, the associate producer of the Oscar®-nominated Treasure Planet (2002), and the associate producer of Chicken Little (2005), the studio’s first full-length 3D animated feature. Del Vecho also produced the animated musical comedy The Princess and the Frog (2009), which received three Oscar® nominations.
Frank Ginsberg (CFA ‘65) is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the iconic New York-based Advertising Agency, Avrett Free Ginsberg (AFG&). An ad legend who turns everyday products into household brands, Ginsberg helped create Nair’s catchy “Who wears short shorts?” campaign in the 1970’s, and introduced TV audiences to the distinctive gull-wing doors of the DeLorean sports car (featured in Back to the Future). Ginsberg has helped build AFG& from a $25 million creative boutique to a $400 million full-service agency, and his signature style, distinguished by its differentiating power, has helped build brands like Purina Cat Chow, U.S. Trust, Financial Times, Thompson Reuters, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Barcardi, and Van Cleef & Arpel. Outside of the agency, Ginsberg sits on the board of directors of the AAAA Creative Committee, The American Hospital in Paris Foundation, The Acting Company, and the Children’s Hearing Institute, which recently honored him with the Julie Styne Humanitarian Award. He has also served as a judge for many of the industry’s creative award shows, including ANDY, Cannes Lion, Art Directors Club, CEBA, AAF ADDY, and AAAA O’Toole awards.
Phyllis Elhady Hoffman (CFA ‘61, ‘67) is Professor of Music at Boston University, and served as the Director of the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) from 1993–2014. At BU, Hoffman chaired the Voice Department from 1992–1996, served as Director of the School of Music from 1996–2001, and as Director of Applied and Performance Studies from 2009–2011. In 2004, Professor Hoffman was honored by the College as the recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award. Hoffman has appeared as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra with Conductor Erich Leinsdorf, the Cantata Singers and Ensemble with John Harbison, and at the Meadowbrook Music Festival with Robert Shaw. Hoffman has premiered numerous compositions in venues such as Alice Tully Hall, Sanders Theatre, and Boston University, and has also given masterclasses for the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Rimsky Korsakov Conservatory of Music in St. Petersburg, Cornell University, and the New England Conservatory.
Best known as Steve Rhoades on the long-running television series Married with Children, Emcee David Garrison (CFA ‘74) was featured this summer, with Chita Rivera, in the Williamstown Theatre Festival production of The Visit. Last season, he played Patrick Dennis in Little Me at New York City Center Encores!, and recreated his Broadway role of White Star Line owner J. Bruce Ismay in a concert performance of Titanic at Avery Fisher Hall. Other credits on and off Broadway include Wicked, winning him a Carbonell Award, and A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, earning him a Tony nomination, among others. In addition to Married with Children, his many television credits include guest performances on 30 Rock, The Good Wife, and Law and Order, to name a few. Garrison was also a 2002 College of Fine Arts Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.