September 4, 2009

• Panion to be named Cultural Ambassador for City of Birmingham

• City Council will present proclamation Sept. 8

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) University Professor Henry Panion III, Ph.D., will be honored by the Congressional Black Caucus Sept. 25 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

Panion will receive the Civic and Cultural Advancement Award during the celebration "An Evening of Excellence," presented by ESSENCE magazine and Southern Company. Other honorees are Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Robert Franklin, J.D., president of Morehouse College.

Panion will receive recognition for this honor from the Birmingham City Council Tuesday, Sept. 8 through a proclamation and an appointment to the post of Cultural Ambassador for the City of Birmingham.

Panion is known for his work as a conductor and arranger for superstar Stevie Wonder, for whose performances and recordings he has led many of the world's most notable orchestras. The two-CD set "Natural Wonder" features Panion conducting his arrangements of many of Wonder's award-winning, chart-topping songs with the Tokyo Philharmonic.

The creative force behind "Gospel Goes Classical" in 2006 featuring Juanita Bynum, Jonathan Butler and the GGC Symphony Orchestra and Choir, Panion made history by topping the Billboard gospel and classical crossover charts simultaneously. Panion has conducted and/or arranged for artists The Winans, Chet Atkins, Eugenia Zuckerman, Aretha Franklin, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Chaka Khan, the Lionel Hampton Orchestra and "American Idol" winners Carrie Underwood and Ruben Studdard. Panion's own works are programmed throughout the United States by many of this country's major orchestras. As a producer, composer, arranger and orchestrator, Panion has earned two Grammy Awards, two Dove Awards and a host of other national music awards and nominations. Other honors include a 1995 Distinguished Alumni Award from Alabama A&M University and a 1996 Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award from Ohio State University.

Panion is the 1996 recipient of the Caroline P. and Charles W. Ireland Award for Scholarly Distinction. He was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Alabama A & M University Hall of Fame in 2000. The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees honored Panion for his many contributions to the field of music in 2000 and bestowed upon him the distinguished appointment of University Professor.

The mission of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is to advance the global black community by developing leaders, informing policy and educating the public. The group works to create a world in which the black community is free of all disparities and able to contribute fully to advancing the common good. They facilitate the exchange of ideas and information to address critical issues affecting black communities, develop strategic research and historical resources for the public, provide leadership development and scholarship opportunities and address social, economic and health disparities.

About the UAB Department of Music

UAB is the first all-Steinway piano school in Alabama. The UAB Department of Music presents more than 150 concerts, recitals, master classes and lectures each year - many of them free - for more than 400,000 people throughout the region. The department features 17 ensembles, including the UAB Marching Blazers, Gospel Choir, Symphony Band, Computer Music Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, Piano Ensemble, Opera, Clarinet Choir, Jazz Ensemble and more.