THEATRE + COMEDY

BAYOU CITY CONCERT MUSICALS is privileged and honored to present the 2010 Kim Hupp Award for Outstanding Contributions to Musical Theatre to BETTYE GARDNER (pictured, with good friend Placido Domingo). This year the award will be presented at The Second Annual Kim Hupp Award Luncheon on Friday, March 26, 2010, at The Ensemble Theatre, 3535 Main Street. Honorary Luncheon Chair is Houston singer, Grace Givens. An informal reception begins at 11:00 a.m., with lunch at 11:30 a.m., and program at 12:15 p.m.

PAUL HOPE, Founder and Artistic Director, has arranged a short program that will feature several numbers from our past cabarets. Musical Director will be well known accompanist, Art Yelton, and singers will be performers of BCCM’s past cabarets.

BETTYE GARDNER, how can you define her? She is an outstanding singer, actor, dancer, drama teacher, vocal teacher, vocal therapist, dance teacher, stage manager and above all, an outstanding human being. She is recognized by her students everywhere she goes, from the opera to the grocery store. A native Houstonian, she attended MacGregor School, and San Jacinto High School. She performed with the Summertime Light Opera Company in Houston, and then on to New York where she landed a spot in the “Straw-Hat Circuit,” performing all over the country in Die Fledermaus, The Chocolate Soldier and The Great Waltz.

Following that, she joined the cast of the new Theater-under-the-Stars in Atlanta and was their leading lady there for two years. Returning to Houston, she became a mainstay of Houston Grand Opera for over forty years. Bettye was in HGO’s first Madame Butterfly as Kate Pinkerton and in 98 other operas. When TUTS was just getting started, she was in their first season performing in Bells Are Ringing. She did not forget her dancing though and opened her own dance studio, then went on to a 25 year tenure as Director of the Alley Theatre’s world-famous Merry-Go-Round School where thousands of Houstonians took acting, singing and dancing.

Ms. Gardner was also a founding member of the newest opera company in Houston, Opera in the Heights, and was both stage manager and director for a number of years. She was the recipient of The Ruth Denney Award for Distinction in Performing Arts Education. Incidentally, Ruth Denney was hired by Bettye to teach at the Merry-Go-Round school. When BCCM produced their first show, Follies, in 2000 and again in 2001 at the Alley Theatre, she played the role of Vanessa.

THE KIM HUPP AWARD was created in January 2004 by Bayou City Concert Musicals to commemorate the life of Kim Hupp and his passion for musical excellence after his untimely death in December 2002. Kim was BCCM’s first Musical Director. Recipients of the award represent this excellence in acting, singing, directing, conducting, producing, choreographing or teaching in the Houston theatrical arena.

Much beloved and appreciated in Houston’s opera and theater communities, Kim gave freely of his time and talent. As a teacher, he inspired hundreds of students, instilling in them his love of music. He was born August 17, 1955, in Topeka, Kansas. After graduating from the University of Kansas, he moved to Houston and soon became an integral part of the Houston musical community. Kim was a professional pianist, musical director, conductor and piano teacher. He recorded for Ann Thompson’s popular opera preparation kits, Let’s Go To The Opera. He was artist in residence at Houston Community College with Houston Grand Opera’s “Opera to Go Series.” Kim was musical director for Main Street Theater, Opera in the Heights, Stages Theatre, University of St. Thomas productions and Bayou City Concert Musicals productions of Follies, Falsettos and A Little Night Music.

Tickets for the luncheon are $50 per person and $100 for underwriter tickets, and are available by calling 713-465-6484 or on our website at bayoucityconcertmusicals.org.

Previous honorees of this award read like a Who’s Who of Houston theatre:
2003 honoree – Diane Tobola, Singer/Actor
2004 honoree - Dr. Robert Linder, Conductor
2005 honorees- Frank Young, Producer/Director of TUTS, and Bob and Marietta Marich, Houston’s First Couple of Theatre
2006 honorees- Roger Raby, Director/Choreographer and  Marge Carroll, Actor/Singer
2007 honoree-Charles and Chesley Krohn, Actor/Singer/Choreographer and Pat Padilla, Retired Wardrobe Mistress of Houston Ballet
2008 honorees- Jennie Welch Eggers, Actor/Singer/Dancer and Frank Tilton, owner of Ovations
2009 honoree Rebecca Udden, Artist Director of Main Street Theater