As the longtime executive director of the Lincoln City Cultural Center, Niki Price guided the transformation of that facility from its early days in a the repurposed Delake School into a vibrant year-round arts presenter and venue that is at the heart of most Lincoln City cultural activity. During her 14-year tenure, the Center became the city’s foremost concert hall, art gallery, yoga studio, farmer and craft marketplace, ceramics and mosaics workshop, fiber arts gallery, souvenir shop, ballet studio, tango and line dancing locale and a meeting place for the town’s civic organizations.
In 2005, she and her husband founded the Oregon Coast TODAY, at which she served as editor, chief writer and photographer until 2012.
Currently, while continuing to lead the Lincoln City Cultural Center until her retirement from the position in August, Price also serves as a legislative assistant to Oregon State Representative David Gomberg, for whom she provides constituent relations, scheduling and policy support.
Price was involved with Siletz Bay Music Festival as a venue sponsor from its early years, serving on its board from 2015 until 2017 and as stage manager until 2016.
The Dick Hyman Award is presented annually to a festival supporter who personifies the love, enthusiasm and exuberance for music and service that Dick Hyman has consistently brought to his music over his legendary, 80-year career. A National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master fellow and an Emmy and ASCAP Award-winning pianist, composer and arranger, Dick Hyman, now age 98, was a mainstay of the Siletz Bay Music Festival from its beginnings until his retirement in 2018.
The August 22 event will feature an ample buffet of hot appetizers and delectable desserts and cool jazz by Portland’s Randy Porter Trio featuring Kenny Washington on vocals. A Grammy nominee, Randy Porter has collaborated with many jazz greats, including Freddy Hubbard, Art Farmer, Benny Golson and Charles McPherson. He has performed at Washington’s Kennedy Center, at New York’s Lincoln Center, at many of the world’s most prestigious jazz festivals and on stages throughout the United States and Europe. Porter currently teaches jazz piano and jazz theory at Portland’s Lewis and Clark College.
The event is billed as a “low-key fundraiser.” Although donations will be gratefully accepted, there’ll be no silent auction, no paddle raise and no pressure.
Tickets for this year’s benefit party are $90.
Siletz Bay Music Festival offers discount packages for multiple events as well as student ticket pricing for all concerts except “Musical Tapas” and the benefit event. To view the schedule and to purchase tickets, go to siletzbaymusic.org.
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