LOCAL NEWS | Provided by City of Ojai

2018 Lifetime Achievement Award Goes to Jaye Hersh

The City of Ojai Arts Commission is proud to announce the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts will be awarded to Jaye Hersh on July 10 by the Ojai City Council. Hersh is widely known in the community for her work with the Ojai Shakespeare Festival, Nordhoff High School’s theatre and choral productions, Ojai Performing Arts Theatre, the Ojai Art Center Theatre, and the Ojai Music Festival. She was also voted a 2003- 2004 Ojai Living Treasure by the Ojai Rotary.

“In choosing Jaye for the award we focused on her strong commitment to the arts in Ojai,” said Michael Addison, Ojai Arts Commissioner and the Lifetime Achievement Award Commitee Chair. “The Award is given in recognition of her proven continuous artistic excellence, demonstrated community involvement within the Ojai Valley, and established recognition in her field. She brings it all to the table.”

Besides her involvement as a vocal director in the above Ojai events and institutions, Hersh herself is an accomplished actress and vocal performer. Local audiences may have seen her in roles as diverse as the classic Shakespearean role Ophelia or as Broadway’s famous character Mame. As a founder of the Ojai Madrigali she often performs annually strolling through the arcade during the holiday season decked in period costume and giving impromptu concerts to the delight of shoppers and merchants.

According to the Ojai Rotary website, “Jaye Hersh believes that everyone has a voice and nobody should be ashamed to use it. She has made a mission to help people young and old tap into something she thinks is becoming lost in our culture: a connection to music on a personal level.”

Please join us for the Tuesday evening award at the July 10th meeting of the Ojai City Council, 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers, 401 S. Ventura St.