Alumni Arts Hall of Fame - University Liggett School

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Alumni Arts Hall Of Fame: Celebrating Our Most Talented!

The Alumni Arts Hall of Fame was established in 2015 to recognize and honor alumni (living or deceased) who have made significant contributions to the arts either as performing or practicing artists/performers in individual disciplines.

Eric Pinder '85 to receive 2024 ULS Alumni Arts Hall of Fame Award

We are excited to announce that performer, director and writer Eric Pinder '85 has been named the 2024 University Liggett School Alumni Arts Hall of Fame honoree. Pinder will be honored by ULS Performing Arts Chair, Dr. Phill Moss, (via Zoom, due to Eric's involvement at the Florida Fringe Festival) on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

A fixture of the Central Florida arts scene for 30 years, Eric is on a mission to make opera more accessible to everyone. To this end, he is currently writing and staging "Cocaine Bear: The Opera" which is scheduled to be performed at the Orlando Fringe Festival which begins May 15, 2024.

An Orlando, FL resident, Pinder has worked in various theme parks and has performed at Theatre Downtown, Sleuths Mystery Dinner Shows, Orlando Theatre Project, Mad Cow, Florida Opera Theatre, Orlando Shakes, as well as concerts with Orlando Philharmonic, Space Coast Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra and various cabaret shows.

As a director of operas, operettas, musicals, and plays he has worked with Florida Opera Theatre, Orlando Opera, Central Florida Vocal Arts, and Valencia College in such diverse works as The Seven Year Itch, Carmen, Gianni Schicci, The Student Prince, and Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias. He has also rewritten and updated the librettos of Mozart’s “The Impresario” and Lehar’s “The Merry Widow”. Eric has been a mainstay of the Orlando Fringe, appearing in about 21 Festivals.

Eric holds a BFA in Musical Performance from Michigan State University and an MFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Florida. During his ULS days, Eric was actively involved in the arts and performed in Godspell, Anything Goes, Romeo and Juliet, Fiddler on the Roof and Once Upon a Mattress. In his spare time, he watches hockey and is crafting a libretto for an opera about hockey. None of this would be possible without his husband Dwayne.

Past Recipients

2023 Honoree: Larry Lees '97, Professional musician

2022 Honoree: Justin Young '98, Professional saxophonist

2021 Honoree: Georgia Shreve '65 GPUS, Multi-passioned artist

2020 Honoree: Leonard Sullivan '97, Broadway performer

2019 Honoree: Josh Moulton ’96, Painter

2018 Honoree: Cybelle Codish '94, Professional photographer

2017 Honoree: Michelle “Mitch” McCabe '89, Documentary filmmaker

2016 Honoree: Gilda Radner '64 LIG, Actress and comedian

2015 Honoree: Julie Harris '44 CDS, Film and theater actress

Learn more about our
Previous Recipients >

University Liggett School is a private preschool and kindergarten through 12th grade college preparatory school in Metro Detroit that is nationally recognized for its innovative curriculum and arts and athletics offerings.

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