Eight members of the Loyola University College of Music faculty and one student of the College of Arts and Sciences received prestigious awards at the 10th annual Tribute to the Classical Arts held on Weds., Feb. 5.

The members of the Classical Music and Opera Awards nominating committee decide the nominees of the Tribute to the Classical Arts.

According to the Classical Music and Opera Awards Procedure, members attend as many classical music and opera performances as possible in the greater New Orleans area each calendar year. The performances that are judged consist of professional and collegiate performances in the Greater New Orleans Area.

Megan Zuchowski, psychology senior, won the Best Choreography (New Work) for the Loyola Fall Concert, “Gold.”

“I was very shocked. It was the first time I’d choreographed a dance. But it was a good piece because of the dancers,” Zuchowski said.

Dean Angeles, director of orchestra and string education since 1980, won the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Best New Classical Music Performance went to the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra for its performance of Stephen Dankner’s “Symphony No.4,” Psalm of Peace.

Only compositions written within the last 25 years were considered for this award.

The LPO performed the world premiere of the symphony at the Orpheum Theatre in Nov. 2002.

Dankner is an instructor of Music and Composition at Loyola.

The Best Chamber Music Performance Award went to the Loyola Piano Trio consisting of Valerie Poullette, violin; Allen Nisbet, cello; and H. Jac McCracken, piano, for their performance program of Beethoven, Baker, and Schumann in October.

“I didn’t expect us to win this time. The other two nominees are wonderful musicians,” Poullette said.

Moses Hogan, artist in residence at Loyola, was the Outstanding Contribution Award Honoree.

Hogan is noted for introducing the American Negro spiritual to symphony orchestras around the world. The Best Opera Production went to the Turandot, directed by David Morelock, and performed by the New Orleans Opera Association.

Morelock is the director of Opera Workshop and Stage Production at Loyola.

Laura Zambrano, director of the Fall Concert Loyola Ballet won the Best Ballet Production.

“It was a nice surprise. We’ve been nominated before but we had never won,” Zambrano, instructor of ballet at Loyola, said.