Baltimore Choral Arts Music Director Tom Hall has won the 2014  American Prize in Conducting, in the community chorus division, it was announced yesterday. The prize is awarded based on the artistic quality of recordings.   Among the judges' comments about Tom: "The energy and enthusiasm were contagious...one of the best recorded performances of Christmas music I have seen in many years." 

In the chorus category of the community chorus division, the Baltimore Choral Arts Chorus was awarded second prize and was cited for "great dynamics,  lyric articulation, balanced parts, and musical  excellence."   Both prizes were awarded in recognition of Baltimore Choral Arts’ recording of “Christmas at America’s First Cathedral,” recorded in the Baltimore Basilica and released by Gothic Records in 2010.

The American Prize is a series of non-profit national competitions in the performing arts, providing cash awards, and regional, national and international recognition. Each year, The American Prize rewards the best recorded performances by individual artists and ensembles in the United States.