2026 Awards for Excellence in the Arts (AEA) Ceremony
The Washington, DC Chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters held its 2026 Awards for Excellence in the Arts (AEA) ceremony at 7:30 on April 23, 2026, at the National Presbyterian Church, Washington, DC. Forty-four high school juniors from schools in the Washington Metropolitan Area were honored for excellence in NSAL’s six arts categories.
The AEA program is unique among NSAL chapters. NSAL DC member Helen Henderson inspired our chapter to recognize area high school juniors with an Award for Excellence (AEA) or a Certificate of Merit. Faculty members choose the honorees. Each year since 2003, excepting three years during the Covid pandemic, the AEA program has recognized talented juniors from area high schools and arts programs in visual art, dance, drama, music (instrumental and vocal), musical theater and literature.
There is no charge for schools or students to participate in AEA.
These honors are announced early during students’ junior year. As such, they can serve as a point of distinction on resumes and college applications. In addition, each year student honorees are recognized during a ceremony, in April or May. All student honorees are invited to audition for a chance to perform as seniors at the following year's AEA ceremony.
Thank you to the Nancy Peery Marriott Foundation for its continued support and making AEA free for all participants.
NSAL-DC Member Edgar Farr Russell III emceed the event while NSAL-DC President Ron Ivey congratulated the students and NSAL-DC Treasurer and AEA co-chair Daisy Berexa handed out certificates.
AEA co-chair Seth Arenstein interviewed the performers and is shown here with Inguun Temuujin, 2025 AEA Honoree in Instrumental-Vocal Music and Visual Art and Elisha Gooden, 2025 AEA Certificate of Merit in Instrumental Music, both from H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, Arlington, VA. Matthew McComis, guitar, joined them in the performance of a song by Elliot Smith and one by Kurt Cobain.
Soprano Alicia Russell Tagert, a chapter winner of a 2025 Martorella Scholarship in Classical Voice, performed a vocal piece from the opera Manon by Jules Massenet and one by Harvey Schmidt (music) and Tom Jones (lyrics) accompanied by Paul Rosson on the piano.
Soprano Ashlyn Rock, a chapter winner of a 2026 Martorella Scholarship in Classical Voice, performed a vocal piece by Jean Sibelius from Five Songs Op. 37 and from the opera La Rondine by Giacomo Puccini accompanied by Paul Rosson on the piano.
Aiden Ledbetter, 2025 AEA Honoree in Instrumental and Vocal Music from the Maret School, performed an excerpt from Trumpet Concerto by Alexander Artunian and sang the song “Happy Sad” from The Addams Family by Andrew Lippa.
Celia Josephs, Chair of NSAL-DC’s Winston Art Scholarships & Harriet Lindner Newbill Awards, presented four of the 2026 awardees as art works were displayed on overhead screens for all of the awardees. Seventeen students were awarded a total of nearly $9000 by the chapter. Click this link to view the video of art works.
Chloe Lee, National Cathedral School, received a 2025 AEA Certificate of Achievement in Instrumental Music. She closed the program with a moving arrangement of Amazing Grace arranged for solo violin by Ning Kam (born 1976). A well attended reception followed the program.
Schools who are interested in participating next year should contact Seth Arenstein by email, mobile phone or text: Arensteinsk85NSAL@gmail.com or 571 236 2896
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