Hovey to receive Governor's Award for the Arts

The North Dakota Council on the Arts and Governor Burgum have announced the recipients of the 2019 Governor's Award for the Arts. Amid 26 nominations, six award winners have been selected. Among those is Annette Hovey, who teaches choir for grades 7-12 and band for grades 5-12 at New Rockford-Sheyenne (NR-S) Public School.

In her 21 years of teaching, Hovey has taught all levels of the public school music curriculum. Before moving to New Rockford, she taught K-12 music at in Climax, Minn., and later choir for grades 6-8 and general music for grades 3, 4, and 6 in East Grand Forks, Minn. She has since incorporated classes in music theory and appreciation, guitar, jazz band, madrigal singers and pop singers into the music curriculum at NR-S.

This past fall, Hovey was named one of four finalists for 2019 North Dakota Teacher of the Year sponsored by North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. She is also a music minister and religious education teacher at St. John's Catholic Church, and she is active in Dakota Prairie Regional Center for the Arts as a youth camp director, actor and pianist.

In the past five years, NR-S high school musicians have earned countless star ratings at large group, small group and solo contests, including 11 Outstanding Performance Awards at state solo and ensemble contest.

Hovey is a member of many professional organizations and has students involved in all of the state festivals and honor groups sponsored by these organizations. Just as much, she loves to provide continued support to her students as they go on to develop their careers. Just last week, Hovey took 22 music students to NDSU after school so they could experience live opera. NR-S alum Tessa Hartl starred in the operatic production "Patience." Hovey is also delighted to profess to all who will listen that three of her four children have chosen to pursue professions in music.

The reception and ceremony honoring this year's Governor's Award for the Arts recipients will be held on Tuesday, March 19 at the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum in Bismarck. The evening will begin at 5 p.m. in the Northern Lights Atrium, followed by the awards presentation at 6:30 p.m. in the Russell Reid Auditorium.

Tickets to the ceremony, which is open to the public, cost $30 each and are available for purchase online at https://ndca2019.wixsite.com/confgovawards.

There are many opportunities to see Hovey's students display their talents this spring as the department enters contest season. See below for a calendar of events.

New Rockford-Sheyenne Music Department 2019 Spring Calendar

March 6: Raging Red Band Festival, NSDU

March 7: JH Solo and Ensemble Festival 1 - 5 p.m., St. John's Catholic Church, New Rockford

March 21-23: All-State Band and Choir, Bismarck

March 28: Choir and Band Large Group Contest, Griggs County Central High School

April 11: HS Solo and Ensemble Contest, Valley City State University

May 3-4: State Solo and Ensemble Contest, Bismarck State College

May 14: JH/HS Spring Concert, 7 p.m.