National Award Winners
Artist Teacher Award
Awarded annually to a pedagogue of renowned stature from North America.
Jamie Laredo
Jamie Laredo had performed for more than five decades across the globe, excelling in the roles of soloist, conductor, recitalist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. He taught for many years at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and Indiana University’s Jacob School of Music before joining the violin faculty at The Cleveland Institute of Music, where he teaches in the Young Artist Program. In addition, Laredo has served for twenty years as conductor of the New York String Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, which brings young musicians from around the world to the stage every December. 

Bornoff Scholarship
(insert FASE, Inc. Logo) Sponsored by the Foundation for the Advancement of String Education
These scholarships are sponsored annually by the Foundation for the Advancement of String Education (FASE) in conjunction with ASTA. Congratulations to this year’s winners of $800 each to attend the ASTA 2017 National Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:
• Larisa Marian, Fairfax, Virginia
• Andrew Price, North Charleston, South Carolina
• Lesslie Nuñez, Forest Grove, Oregon

Awardees will be recognized at the conference opening ceremony. Special thanks to the conference committee for their work in evaluating applications and successfully promoting this scholarship 

Distinguished Service Award
David Baker 
This year’s award is given posthumously. David Baker, who passed away March 26, 2016, at the age of 84, was one of the truly great figures in the history of jazz. He founded the jazz studies program at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 1968—one of the first of its kind—and served as its chair until 2013. A trombonist and cellist, Baker had tremendous impact as a performer, educator, composer, band leader, and arts advocate—inspiring thousands of music students and musicians, and influencing the teaching of jazz music around the world. He played with musicians such as Quincy Jones and George Russell; composed hundreds of pieces for jazz, symphony, chamber music, and film scores; and served as artistic director for the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. Among numerous awards for his work, Baker was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2000 and a Living Jazz Legend by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2007.

Elizabeth A. Green Award
Awarded annually to a teacher with a distinguished current career in a school orchestral setting. 
Award Presentation: Thursday, March 2 - Opening Ceremony - Ballroom B/C
Scott Laird, North Carolina School of Science and Math
This year’s winner is Scott Laird, instructor of music and fine arts coordinator at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM), where he directs the orchestra and teaches courses in classical guitar and piano, music history, and recording technology. He has been an active string educator, clinician, and conductor for nearly 30 years, and his orchestras have been recognized for their superior and musically mature performances. Laird also serves as an educational specialist for D’Addario Bowed Strings, Coda Bows, and NS Design Electric Violins, and is noted for his pioneering work with electric bowed string instruments in the orchestra classroom.

Outstanding String Project Award 
Awarded annually by the ASTA National Board to an outstanding String Project site in the National String Project Consortium.
Award Presentation: NSPC Reception Wednesday 6:30 p.m. - Westin Hotel, Pennsylvania West Room
Ithaca College SOAR String Project
The SOAR (Strings Off And Running) String Project at Ithaca College is a program in string instrument instruction being offered to St. Mary's Elementary School students in nearby Cortland, New York, who would not otherwise have access to string music programming. Directed by Julie Carr, the project’s high-quality instruction reaches students in seven school districts in two counties as well as homeschoolers. At Ithaca, college students who have taught and completed the program have a 100 percent placement rate over the past six years. Its scholarship opportunities have made it possible for many to study a stringed instrument and for no one to be turned away for financial issues.

String Researcher Award
Awarded to a researcher whose work has contributed significantly to scholarship in string education and/ or performance.
Award Presentation: Friday, March 3, 2:45 -3:45 pm - Room 308
Margaret Berg, University of Colorado
The winner is Margaret Berg, associate professor of music education and chair of the College of Music at the University of Colorado Boulder, for her impressive record of sustained engagement in research activities and scholarship—including publication in juried research journals, research presentations at professional meetings, mentorship, and involvement in the strings community. Berg currently serves on editorial boards for the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, the Journal of Music Teacher Education, and the String Research Journal, as well as the ASTA National Board as chair of the Content Development and the Mentor Program committees.