The City of Music Awards, established last year as part of Seattle's City of Music initiative, will honor Brandi Carlile and other notable contributors to the local music scene tonight (Oct. 6) at Showbox at the Market.
Carlile will receive the Breakthrough Award, which honors local musicians who have had overwhelming success in the past year. Carlile will not be present to receive the award; instead, a previous performance from the Triple Door, recorded Sept. 5, will be broadcast at the ceremony.
Clarence Acox and Scott Brown will receive the Impact Award, which honors musicians for service to the community. Acox and Brown are directors of the award-winning Garfield High School jazz program.
Also being honored is Gerard Schwarz, outgoing director of the Seattle Symphony. Schwarz, who will step down at the end of the 2011 season, will recieve the Outstanding Achievement Award, honoring lifetime accomplishment.
“Seattle is a great city for music. It’s a part of our history. It’s a part of our everyday life. And it must be a part of our future,” said Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn in a press release. “I’m excited to see the City of Music effort continue to grow and involve more facets of our thriving music community.”
The Seattle City of Music initiative was created in 2008 by Mayor Greg Nickels' administration to recognize local music industry standouts and foster development of the music scene as an economic driver for the city.
Last year Fleet Foxes won the inaugural Breakthrough Award, KEXP was honored with the Impact Award, and Quincy Jones received the Outstanding Achievement Award.
This year’s recipients were selected by the 21-member Seattle Music Commission, which oversees the City of Music Initiative.
Tickets for the ceremony were given away for free on a first come, first served basis and sold out earlier this week.
