2007 National Medals of Arts Presented at
White House Ceremony

The 2007 National Medals of Arts were presented by the President in a White House ceremony on Thursday, November 15, 2007. Among the recipients were ASCAP members composer Morten Lauridsen and guitar pioneer Les Paul as well as the University of Idaho Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival, whose Artistic Director is ASCAP member John Clayton. Lauridsen's official announcement cited his "radiant choral works combining musical power, beauty and spiritual depth that have thrilled audiences worldwide." Paul's noted his "innovation as a musician, his pioneering designs of the electric guitar, and his groundbreaking recording techniques that have influenced the development of American jazz, blues, and pop music, and inspired generations of guitarists." John Clayton and University of Idaho President Tim White received the Jazz Festival's honor "for preserving and promoting the uniquely American art of jazz, educating teachers and young musicians."