Pictured above: Joe Davis with his father, Sheldon
Idyllwild Arts Academy’s Class of 2021, like all Academy graduating classes, was full of remarkable talents. In this limited space it would be impossible to mention every one of them. But, among a heavily decorated group of young artists, three of them have taken home the Academy’s most coveted awards.
Jazz pianist Joe Davis, from Jamaica, has become the first international student since 2017 to be named Outstanding Artist. In the fall, Joe will continue his music studies at Berklee College of Music, in Boston. Year after year, Berklee is a favorite destination of Idyllwild Arts jazz musicians and Songwriting majors.
Visual Arts major Veronica Faulks, of Southern California, has won the Richard H. MacNeal Award, given to the senior who has excelled most in all aspects of the Academy mission: arts, academics, and personal growth. Ronnie moves on to New York University–in particular, to NYU’s London campus for her freshman year–without declaring a major because her interests transcend visual arts.
Enoch Grubb, also from Southern California, is Valedictorian. He will cross the United States and then the Atlantic Ocean to Codarts University of the Arts, in the Netherlands. The dance program there emphasizes Enoch’s first love, contemporary dance.
