Vincent Oakes, artistic director of the Chattanooga Boys Choir and Director of Choral Music at The Baylor School was awarded the 2021 Belz-Lipman Award for Excellence in Holocaust Education. Mr. Oakes was one of four recipients from across the state identified by the Tennessee Holocaust Commission for this honor.
Mr. Oakes was nominated for the award by the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, with whom the Chattanooga Boys Choir has prepared several programs in observance of Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day). This year’s observance, prepared and performed virtually, can be viewed at www.chattanoogaboyschoir.org. In addition to preparing their repertoire, the choristers reviewed music, stories and poetry emanating from concentration camps and visited with music scholars and authors on the subject.
A virtual award ceremony was hosted by the Tennessee Holocaust Commission, during the commission’s Annual Day of Remembrance Holocaust Commemoration. This ceremony can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAiUq2rMMsI
Established by Memphis community leaders, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists Jack A. Belz and Ira Lipman, the Belz-Lipman Award for Excellence in Holocaust Education Award recognizes outstanding talent and commitment in the field of Holocaust education. The Tennessee Holocaust Commission has presented the award since 1993, recognizing the most skilled, dedicated, and enduring Holocaust educators across the state of Tennessee for nearly 30 years.