Marsalis and Crumb lead musical honors

NEW YORK, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Jazz and classical trumpeter Wynton Marsalis was named Musician of the Year this week by the Musical America International Directory of the Performing Arts.

Its 2004 award recipients also included George Crumb, who turns 75 next year, as Composer of the Year; Joseph Flummerfelt, principal conductor of Westminster Choir of Rider University, as Conductor of the Year, opera singer Susan Graham as Vocalist of the Year; and northern California's Philharmonic Baroque Orchestra as Ensemble of the Year.

The awards were presented at a ceremony held at the midtown Manhattan jazz club Birdland.

Musical America established its awards in 1960, recognizing many of the foremost artists of our time. Past honorees have included Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz, Beverly Sills, Rudolf Serkin, Isaac Stern, Kurt Masur, Marilyn Horne and the Kronos Quartet.

The annual Musical America International Directory of the Performing Arts has been long considered the bible of the music business. The newest edition, just out, profiles the 2004 winners in articles written by distinguished critics and commentators on the contemporary music scene.