James Leija (BFA ’02, musical theatre; BA ’02, sociology, LSA; MFA ’07, art & design, Stamps)

Jim Leija’s work over the past two decades has been grounded in civic engagement, inclusive programming, and a deep belief in the arts as a force for community connection.

Leija is executive director of Pewabic Pottery, Detroit’s historic nonprofit ceramic arts organization. Prior to that role, he served as deputy director for public experience and learning at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), where he led education, engagement, and visitor experience in support of the museum’s mission as a welcoming, dynamic public space. His creative leadership has supported ambitious projects including Machine Dazzle’s “Ouroboros” alongside ongoing initiatives such as “Hey, We Need to Talk,” a program addressing political polarization.

During his 12 years at the University Musical Society (UMS), Leija designed and implemented dozens of artistic residencies in Ann Arbor with nationally and internationally renowned performing artists, building sustained relationships among artists, the campus, and the broader public. His work included landmark initiatives such as UMS’s 2019 partnership with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, culminating in a “Day of Action” in Flint, Michigan, and the creation of the 21st Century Artist Internship, a fully funded, year-long professional internship for SMTD undergraduates. He served for 11 years as an elected trustee of the Ann Arbor District Library and currently serves on the board of Detroit’s InsideOut Literary Arts.

Leija is a proud member of Detroit’s PRISM LGBTQ Chorus, performing with both the full chorus and its auditioned small ensemble, Men of Note. With PRISM, he has performed for Governor Gretchen Whitmer; at the 2024 GALA Festival in Minneapolis; at Motor City Pride; and for the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Tigers Pride Nights. Leija lives in Ann Arbor with his husband of 16 years, Aric Knuth, and their rescue dog, Freya.

Professional Achievement in Music Award

Mark Dover (BM ’09, clarinet)

Grammy Award–winning clarinetist Mark Dover is a man of many horns, maintaining firm roots in classical music while ever expanding into the vast world of improvised music. Since 2016 he has served as the clarinetist of Imani Winds, and he has appeared as a soloist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Albany Symphony, and American Composers Orchestra. Most recently, Dover was awarded a Grammy as a player and producer in the category of Best Classical Compendium at the 2024 Grammy Awards, honored for Imani Winds’ latest release, Passion for Bach and Coltrane. His debut album with Imani Winds, Bruits, was nominated for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance at the 2022 Grammy Awards.

In 2023 Dover also joined the chamber ensemble yMusic. Recent highlights include appearances at Carnegie Hall Presents with both Imani Winds and yMusic, an NPR Tiny Desk concert with yMusic, and debuts at La Jolla Music Society and Tippet Rise Arts Center.

Dover joined the chamber music faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2021; he also serves on the clarinet faculty at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and at Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY).

Dover has an extensive background in improvised music. He is a frequent collaborator with Vulfpeck, an American funk band formed in his hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dover received his master of music degree from Manhattan School of Music and his bachelor of music degree from the University of Michigan. He is a Buffet Crampon and Vandoren Artist.

Professional Achievement in Theatre Award

Andrés Holder (BFA ’10, theatre design & production)

Andrés Holder (he/him) is an arts leader who currently serves as executive director of Boston Children’s Chorus. He has held roles with the Washington Ballet, Arena Stage, and GALA Hispanic Theatre. He has led a portfolio of projects at the intersection of the arts and business, including capital campaigns, strategic planning, financial modeling, technology implementation, production, intellectual property, labor relations, and real estate.

Holder has produced at renowned venues and festivals, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC; Boston’s Symphony Hall; Wolf Trap; Live Nation’s Warner Theatre; Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival; the Joyce Theater; and New York City Center’s Fall for Dance. Additionally, he has produced, directed, and designed productions in Panamá’s Teatro Nacional, which garnered him multiple Premios Escena (Escena Awards) for Excellence in Panamanian Theatre for his design and directorial work. In 2017, he directed the Central American premiere of the musical Rent in commitment to furthering social justice for LGBTQIA+ people in Panamá. He has worked with such award-winning artists as Idina Menzel, Justin Tranter, Diane Paulus, Julie Kent, Charles Randolph Wright, Kathleen Turner, Pasek & Paul, Malcom-Jamal Warner, Ben Platt, Michael Greif, George C. Wolfe, Katori Hall, David Auburn, and more.

Holder was the inaugural recipient of Project STEP’s William Moyer Champion of Change Award in 2025, and he received the Institute for Nonprofit Practice’s Changemaker Award in 2024. He was included in Amplify LatinX’s “100 ALX Amplifiers” and in Get Konnected!’s listing of Boston’s Most Influential Men of Color in 2023.

Born and raised in Panamá, Holder immigrated to the United States to pursue higher education. You can often find him listening to house, flamenco, techno, gospel, salsa, and show tunes. He is madly in love with his husband, Charlie, and their Portuguese water dog, Chico.

Professional Achievement in Dance Award

Robert Hartwell (BFA ’09, musical theatre)

Robert Hartwell has been seen on Broadway in Memphis: The Musical, Cinderella, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Motown: The Musical, and the Tony Award-winning revival of Hello, Dolly! starring Bette Midler. He has been seen nationally and internationally on the tours of Dreamgirls and Motown: The Musical. Regionally he has played roles at the Muny, Sacramento Music Circus, Fulton Opera House, North Carolina Theatre, and Music Theatre Wichita.

As a director/choreographer, Hartwell has worked at Pace University, Music Theatre Wichita, Naples PAC, Pioneer Theatre Guild, and the University of Michigan. He is the founder and artistic director of the Broadway Collective and creator of Broadway’s online academy Hello Broadway. He is also a member of Broadway Inspirational Voices. Hartwell is an honors graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the Department of Musical Theatre at SMTD.

Rob Bisel (BS ’14, sound engineering)

Rob Bisel is a Grammy Award–winning producer, songwriter, engineer, mixer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He began his career at Green Day’s Studio 880 in Oakland, California, before moving to Los Angeles in 2014 to intern at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La Studios. Over the next six years, he became the studio’s in-house engineer, working closely with Rubin on projects with the Smashing Pumpkins, Santana, the Strokes, Eminem, Lady Gaga, and many others.

In 2020, Bisel stepped away from Shangri-La to collaborate with SZA on what became the Billboard No. 1, multi-platinum album SOS. He played a central role in shaping the album – producing, engineering, mixing, and even contributing background vocals to standout tracks including “Kill Bill,” “I Hate U,” and “Ghost in the Machine.” Bisel is also a co-writer of “Kill Bill.”

Since the album’s release, Bisel has continued building a diverse, genre-spanning body of work with artists such as Tems, Don Toliver, Doja Cat, Arlo Parks, and Glass Animals. His work has earned him two Grammy Awards (Best Progressive R&B Album and Best R&B Song), BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Song of the Year Award, and a spot on the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Top Producers list. In addition, “Kill Bill” won iHeartRadio Song of the Year.