One of Elgin Community College’s very own won a national award in New York City. Director of Performing Arts, Steve Duchrow, was honored with the Art Presenter of the Year award.

Mary Hatch, Dean of liberal, visual and preforming arts department, gave a presentation about Duchrow and his accomplishments.

Before his days at ECC, Duchrow empowered students at Northern Illinois University for 13 years. Duchrow directed cultural arts and entertainment programs at NIU. After his time at NIU, Duchrow spent eight years in Crystal Lake at the Raue Center for the Arts as the founding executive director.

According to Hatch, while at Raue Center, Duchrow developed acclaimed performing arts series for the region that also nurtured local arts and youth organizations. He created [the] arts education outreach program, Mission Imagination, serving over 120,000 school children in first five years.

Duchrow, then came to ECC and has been here for 10 years so far.

“Duchrow came to ECC serve his heart’s mission, to help people with less financial means graduate college and enrich their lives through the arts, ” said Hatch. “His commitment to the transformative power of the arts is exemplified in his daily practice, and his own art.”

North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents (NAPAMA), which manages professional artists in North America, awarded Duchrow with presenter of the year. He received the award in January, during the Association of Performing Arts Presenters’ (APAP) conference.

Along with a certificate of excellence, Duchrow received $1,000 to his name on behalf of NAPAMA.

Over 4,000 art directors had attended this conference in New York City last month.

“Practically everyone who presents arts in our country [that] belongs to [NAPAMA] attends this to plan, negotiate and book their arts series. Directors of huge venues, commercial, regional, municipal, educational and other not-for-profit go each year. This is a really big event,” said Hatch.

Duchrow is making history as ECC’s first preforming arts director to win a national award .