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34. Marty Ashby Director of performing arts, Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild AGE: 38 Claim to fame: Ashby, a relative novice when he went into the studio to produce
"Count Basie Orchestra Live at the MCG" in 1996, won a Grammy for his effort.
Since then, he has been nominated for a second Grammy and is working on a PBS special
about the MCG. Ashby has become a national spokesman for the MCG and its philosophy of art
education. Owners of Beehives and Lava Lounge AGES: 35, 34 Claim to fame: Almost a decade ago, a pair of Deadheads, Kramer, left, and Zumoff, took
a caffeinated leap into the new coffeehouse movement with the funky South Side cafe, the
Beehive. It is still anchored there as a haven for young people to express their own
freaky individuality. The Oakland Beehive has an even bigger buzz, as it’s one of
only a handful of movie theaters in the city proper -- and certainly the only one where
you can have a beer with your popcorn. Kramer and Zumoff also run two popular nightclubs,
the Pollinator (above the Oakland Beehive) and the Lava Lounge on the South Side. Community relations director at WDUQ-FM (90.5), president and founder of the Pittsburgh Jazz Society and host of evening jazz program AGE: 63 Claim to fame: His award-winning evening jazz program is now syndicated. Mowod
continues to host the Pittsburgh Jazz Society jams at Foster’s in Oakland on the
weekends. He and the Jazz Society are in the midst of a aggressive scholarship drive for
young musicians. Mowod is particularly proud that the number of scholarship students has
jumped dramatically in the past year. Though the Sunday night concerts at Foster’s
are free, they have managed to subsidize the dreams of up-and-coming jazz musicians. WDUQ
celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Executive director, Three Rivers Arts Festival AGE: 51 Claim to fame: Last summer, after festival offices moved Downtown, Pearlman initiated
the TRAF Gallery and hired a curator-in-residence, establishing a year-round presence in
the Cultural District. She serves as chair of the recently founded David L. Lawrence
Convention Center Public Art Committee. This year, she oversees her 10th Three Rivers Arts
Festival. Director of exhibitions, Pittsburgh Filmmakers AGE: 46 Claim to fame: The city’s most prolific purveyor of independent and foreign films
has more venues than ever: the Harris Theater, Downtown; the Melwood Screening Room,
Oakland; and the Regent Square Theater, Edgewood, which Filmmakers purchased last year.
Kaboly also chooses the movies for the annual Three Rivers Film Festival. He has been
working at it since 1986, when such movies as "Ran" and "My Life as a
Dog" reintroduced Pittsburghers to subtitles after years without alternative cinema.
Their success laid the groundwork for Filmmakers’ multiscreen presence and such
Oscar-nominated offerings as "Central Station" and "The Sweet
Hereafter." He is also co-owner of the 61C Cafe in Squirrel Hill. Executive Director, Society for Contemporary Crafts AGE:46 Claim to fame: During her 3 1/2-year administration, society membership and staff have grown and the budget has increased significantly, now at $450,000. New educational programming and community partnerships have given the society greater visibility and caught the attention of granting agencies. Exhibitions of consistent, excellent quality, including the recent "Stop Asking/We Exist," which traveled to the American Craft Museum in New York, have raised national awareness. The inauguration of the $5,000 biennial Elizabeth Rockwell Raphael Founder’s Prize drew international attention in 1997, when it was awarded to a German artist. Work by artists from diverse groups -- such as African-, Native or Korean-American -- who would not otherwise have a venue are often featured. A strategic five-year plan has been developed to achieve the society’s goals.Last year: Newcomer 40. Polly McQueen Executive director, Renaissance and Baroque Society of Pittsburgh AGE: 48 Claim to fame: McQueen made the Renaissance and Baroque Society the most successful
among local organizations that present (rather than perform) classical music. In the face
of decreasing arts attendance in the region, the very specialized organization has been
able to increase the number of its events and maintain sizable audiences. She has also
inaugurated educational programs in local schools. Executive director, Pittsburgh, International Children’s Theater AGE: 61 Claim to fame: Welch heads the organization that puts on a fall-to-spring series of
children’s theater and a major summer children’s festival each year. The
festival brings in performers from all over the world. This year, the festival continued
in its traditional spot on the North Side despite the challenge of working around stadium
construction. But it appears that nothing can stop the organization; the 1999-2000 season
will be the 30th season of children’s theater, and the festival in 2000 will be the
15th annual festival. "We’re still here," Welch says. And they probably
will be for a long time. Program director, public radio station WYEP-FM (91.3) AGE: 40 Claim to fame: The station, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year with many
special events, continues to exert its influence in the region through its many locally
produced shows and unique lineup of programs. Welsch also has introduced new, fellow
on-air personalities, one of whom, Jack Barton, is also the new music director. AGES: 47, 46 Claim to fame: Burdick, right, and Metropulos turned an old car dealership into a
gorgeous apartment building for low-income artists: the Spinning Plate Artist Lofts, which
opened this year. In doing so, they convinced the city of the need to keep artists in town
and turned an East Liberty eyesore into a gem. Artists and Cities, a nonprofit real estate
development corporation, is now eyeing Lawrenceville for its next artist-friendly project.
AGE: 37 Claim to fame: Boos has brought Quantum along slowly, refusing to grow an expensive
staff or permanent home. Almost every penny goes into development. She specializes in
finding challenging international playwrights new to Pittsburgh and then stages their work
with a sense of special occasion in found or invented spaces. In 1998, two of her plays
placed first and third in the PG’s list of the year’s best -- indeed, her
twice-yearly productions show up in all the year-end "bests" lists. An actor and
director, she has a knack for hiring directors who make actors look good and professional
actors who return the favor. AGE: 44 Claim to fame: In his first year as president and chief executive officer of the
Historical Society, Masich oversaw the creation of the organization’s first
long-range plan for running the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center and
forged partnerships with many cultural organizations. But in recent weeks, two longtime
key staffers resigned to take jobs at other institutions; Masich’s first challenge
will be to replace his museum division director and chief curator with professionals of
equal merit and commitment. Founder and director, International, Poetry Forum; state poet of Pennsylvania AGE: 70 Claim to fame: The poetry forum has been a distinctive cultural institution here for 33
years, bringing many of the world’s best poets to the city, from Nobel winners like
Derek Walcott and Seamus Heaney to local talents like Lynn Emanuel and Jan Beatty. Hazo
also oversees poetry programs in high schools using area writers. This year, U.S. poet
laureate Robert Pinsky spoke to a countywide assembly of poetry students from the
forum’s program. Hazo, who is also known nationally for his own poetry, is a
professor emeritus at Duquesne University. AGE: 59 Claim to fame: Napor heads one of the country’s larger film, audio and video labs.
It does film processing, printing, post-production, animation and restoration for such
major studios as Paramount, Sony and Disney. It also dubs films for use on major airlines,
manufactures copies of CDs and DVDs and duplicates broadcast material for global markets.
Last year, Napor announced plans for a $60 million addition to his Crafton headquarters
that would include three sound stages, a technology center and other facilities that would
help solidify Pittsburgh’s place as a filmmaking center. Financing for the project
still must be secured. WRS also gives out the annual Laura Napor Awards, which make cash
grants to aspiring filmmakers. AGE: 37 Claim to fame: In 13 years of bringing touring acts to Pittsburgh, Elko Concerts has
given the city early looks at many of the biggest names in ’90s rock, from Nirvana to
Green Day, the Offspring to Marilyn Manson. Elko’s also done country (Vince Gill,
Clint Black), jazz (the Rippingtons, Wynton Marsalis), reggae (Jimmy Cliff), comedians
(Steven Wright) and, even through the backlash, metal (Slaughter, Warrant, Dokken,
Cinderella, etc., etc.) In the past few years, he’s expanded the number of venues in
the region, staging national entertainment with shows at the Palace Theatre (Greensburg),
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and the Ice Garden (Rostraver). Soon, he may be
branching out into wrestling promotion, with something called the AWA. AGE:29 Claim to fame: She came to live in Bellevue after winning several competitions and a
stint at the Ezio Pinza Council for American Singers of Opera, in order to be close to
voice teacher Claudia Pinza. She made a last-minute debut at the Metropolitan Opera in
December 1997, then went on to major operatic successes in Dallas, Seville and Berlin in
the season that followed. Loyal to her roots, she staunchly reminds people that "I
owe it all to Ms. Pinza and EPCASO." AGE: 45 Claim to fame: He arrived here from his native Ireland in 1976 and quickly began to
shake things up in the underground with his punk band Carsickness. More than 20 years
later, the outspoken Mullen seems to have his hands in everything. Asked what he’s up
to these days, Mullen said, "Do you have an hour?" As a musician, he will
release a new album in August on J-Bird Records with his band Ploughman’s Lunch, and
he performs for theater productions with PIG (Pittsburgh Improvisational Group). As a
painter, he is an artist-in-residence at this year’s Guinness Fleadh Festival. He
spends his days at Rosebud as a booking agent for Next Big Thing Productions.
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