Visual & Performing Arts Hall of Fame

Image of the Hall of Fame intro with pallette staff and drama masks

The Inaugural Inductees

On September 29th, the inaugural class of the Canandaigua Visual and Performing Arts Hall of Fame were inducted. The ceremony took place at the Fort Hill Performing Arts Center. The 2022 inductees are Tom Davis, Gordon Estee, Terese Genecco, Michael Park, Scott Schauman and Amy Story. The inductees also taught several master-classes at the Academy and were honored publicly at the half-time of the Homecoming Football game.

Establishment of the Visual & Performing Arts Hall of Fame

Nominations

Eligibility Criteria

Inductees will be recognized as one or more of the following categories which best represents their demonstrated significance in the field of the performing or visual arts: Graduate, Creator, Performer, Practitioner, and/or Contributor.p

In order to qualify, inductees must have:p

Attended Canandaigua Academy and made significant contributions in the visual and performing arts sponsored by the Canandaigua City School District OR:
Led a Canandaigua City School District ensemble or group for a minimum of five years OR:
Made significant contributions to the students of the Canandaigua City School District through the visual and/or performing arts OR:
Attended Canandaigua Academy and may not have participated in the visual or performing arts but made significant contributions to the arts after high school

Additional Information: A ten-year waiting period is required for induction from the time of graduation from the Academy or the equivalent time period has passed from a traditional high school date of graduation.p

Questions

Tom Davis

Canandaigua Academy Instrumental Music Director & Curriculum Area Lead Teacher

Mr. Tom Davis was an instrumental music teacher for the Canandaigua City School District from 1992 to 2014, serving much of his career as the Curriculum Area Lead Teacher. Mr. Davis taught music lessons and International Baccalaureate Music, conducted the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Jazz Combo, Parade Band, and the Academy Pep Band, The Sound! Mr. Davis was an integral part of the development and success of the Canandaigua Academy music program and started the annual Holiday Prism Concert at the Academy. Under his leadership, opportunities in music for students in the Canandaigua City School District greatly expanded.

Gordon Estey

Canandaigua Academy Class of 1974 - Theatrical Lighting Designer, Educator, Community Volunteer

Mr. Gordon Estey's career focused on theatre lighting design, technical direction, and stage management. He served as technical director and lighting designer with the Canandaigua Academy Players for thirty-three years, from 1970-1976 and 1992-2019. He retired as resident technical director, lighting, and scenic designer for the Rochester City Ballet and technical director for Finger Lakes Opera and the Rochester Broadway Theatre League. He was also the lighting director for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra at the Eastman Theatre. He has greatly impacted the theatrical arts in Canandaigua and Rochester. Mr. Estey was instrumental in the founding and development of the Fort Hill Performing Arts Center.

Terese Genecco

Canandaigua Academy Class of 1983 - Cabaret Performer, Vocalist, and Comedian

After graduating from the Academy, Ms. Terese Genecco spent forty years as a vocalist, bandleader, comedian, and emcee based first in San Francisco and then in New York City. Ms. Genecco and her Little Big Band focused on high-energy Cabaret performances. Ms. Genecco’s Cabaret accolades include best debut vocalist and entertainer of the year from judges at the San Francisco/ Bay Area Cabaret Competition in 2003. She also has earned other awards, including a 2008 Best Recording award from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC) for her live recording “Drunk with Love: A Tribute to Frances Faye” and the 2009 MAC award for Outstanding Female Vocalist. While a student at the Academy, Ms. Genecco participated in choir and band and earned a BFA from Syracuse University in musical theater in 1987.

Michael PArk

Canandaigua Academy Class of 1986 - Stage & Screen Actor, Television Star

After graduating from Canandaigua Academy and Nazareth College, Mr. Michael Park anded lead and supporting actor roles in numerous regional, national, Broadway and off-Broadway productions. In 1997, he joined the cast of CBS-TV daytime drama As the World Turns and for fourteen years he starred as Detective Jack Snyder. He earned a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Leader Actor in a Drama Series in 2010 and 2011. In 2018, he earned a third Daytime Emmy for Creative Arts in an Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program. In 2016, Park starred in the Broadway shows, Tuck Everlasting and Dear Evan Hansen. Mr. Park earned a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2018 for Dear Evan Hansen. Mr. Park also appeared in season three of the Netflix hit series Stranger Things. Mr. Park has had truly remarkable success in his career on Broadway and on television. Mr. Park has truly had an outstanding acting career.

Scott Schauman

Canandaigua Academy English Teacher & Drama Director

Mr. Scott Schauman directed the Canandaigua Academy Fall Plays and Spring Musicals from 1990-2022. Under Mr. Schauman’s direction, the Academy Players soared to new heights and set a standard of excellence in their productions. With more than three decades of shows involving thousands of students and support staff, Mr. Schauman’s favorite productions include the modern classic, “Les Misérables,” and “Disaster!”, a spoof on the 1970s disaster movies; and the jukebox musical of Elvis Presley music, “All Shook Up.” From 1990 to his retirement in 2022, Mr. Schauman taught English at the Academy, including courses on creative writing, Shakespeare, and Theatre and Drama. Throughout his career at Canandaigua Academy, Mr. Schauman mentored, inspired, and impacted the lives of thousands of students.

Amy Story

Canandaigua Academy Vocal Music Director

Mrs. Amy Story started teaching at Canandaigua Middle School in 1997 and then moved to Canandaigua Academy four years later and retired in 2015 as the vocal director at the Academy. While teaching at the Academy, Mrs. Story was recognized by the American Choral Directors’ Association for her commitment to choral education and worked tirelessly to make the program nationally recognized. During her time at Canandaigua Academy, Mrs. Story directed the Academy Choirs, Madrigal Choir, Jazz Choir, Mixed Choir, and Women’s Choir. She was the director of music for the Academy Players Productions from 2002-2014. Mrs. Story worked extensively with the vocalists in Academy Players Productions and impacted thousands of students during her time at Canandaigua Academy.