Watch ceo remarks
2024 CITIZEN ARTIST HONOREE
DAVID "DASO" SOTO
Singer/songwriter David Soto [AKA DāSo] started on his musical journey as a child while performing with his mom in the Puerto Rican folkloric dance troupe, Grupo Cemí. He grew up in the ethnically diverse neighborhood of Loisaida in New York City amidst a flourishing culture of Nuyorican poets back in the early 70-80s. Learning from mentors María Hernández, Bimbo Rivas, TatoLaviera and Luis Guzmán, he honed his craft in front of live audiences performing in places like the Nuyorican Poets Café, Tompkins Square Park, local community garden parties and CHARAS fundraisers.
2024 LEADER OF LOVE HONOREE
LYMARIS ALBORS
Lymaris Albors is the CEO of Acacia Network, a leading New York City-based nonprofit and one of the largest in the State. During her tenure at Acacia Network, Lymaris has devised and launched key initiatives aimed toward building a solid foundation for continuous organizational expansion by focusing on four main pillars, which she believes are critical to long-term success: Quality, Integration, Accountability, and Equity.
2024 LEGEND OF ART HONOREES
T. Oliver Reid & Warren Adams
T. Oliver Reid (Co-Founder & Artistic Director of Black Theatre Coalition) has spent the past 20 years working on Broadway shows, (Hadestown; Once On This Island; Sunset Boulevard; After Midnight; Sister Act; Mary Poppins; The Wedding Singer; Chicago; La Cage Aux Folles; Never Gonna Dance; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Follies; Kiss Me, Kate), which have amassed more than 20 Tony Awards from the American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards.
Warren Adams (Co-Founder & Artistic Director of Black Theatre Coalition) is a South African-born artist living in New York City. He was recently commissioned to write the book for the PETER TOSH musical. He is the Writer/Director of the upcoming new musical Trial and the Choreographer of the Bebe Winans Broadway-bound musical Born for This. In 2019, he was appointed to the Tony Nominating Committee.
