TOLEDO, OH — The Toledo Symphony Orchestra (TSO) has announced Wasim Hawary, Orchestra Director for Maumee High School, as the recipient of its 2024 Outstanding Music Educator Award. This is the fifth consecutive year the TSO has honored current, full-time, K-12 music educators who teach music in public and private schools in the Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan region. 

“When you come to the symphony, the incredible musicians you see on stage have all had very special mentors,” says Alain Trudel, Music Director of Toledo Symphony Orchestra. “Often, as it was in my case, that person is our high school music teacher. The dedication of our five finalists is an example and inspiration for all to follow as we foster the next generation of musicians and importantly, humans.” 

Through the Outstanding Music Educator Award, the Toledo Symphony recognizes the vital role music teachers play in the lives of the students they teach. Music teachers introduce, instill, and cultivate a love of music that surpasses the time spent in the classroom. They lay the foundation for a lifetime of appreciation that serves to perpetuate these artforms.  

“Wasim is so deserving of this recognition! Throughout his 25 years of public-school teaching and leadership with the Toledo Symphony Youth Orchestras (TSYO), through ups and downs, he has quietly gone about promoting the joy and fulfillment of active participation in music,” Dorothy Coats, a music education advocate and longtime TSYO manager. “Passionate to spark interest and bring out the best in his students and the youth orchestras, his creative leadership and innovative skills as well as caring mentorship have played a huge and lasting role in his students lives and the growth and success of the TSYO.” 

Wasim Hawary, a lifelong resident of the Toledo area, attended Bowling Green State University for his undergraduate and graduate degrees. He has been teaching music in the public school system since 1998 and has served as the Assistant Director of TSYO between 1999-2005. In 2009, he returned to serve as the TSYO Artistic Director and has been proud to see how the group has expanded into three different orchestras. In addition to his leadership role, he is also the conductor for the TSYO Philharmonic Orchestra. 

“Mr. Hawary cares deeply about his students and getting instruments into their hands! Once a student is in his class, he seems to transfer his passion to them. The result is a very talented orchestra, and we are very lucky to have him” says Cori Wagner, Assistant Principal of Maumee High School. 

“Thank you to the Toledo Symphony for this prestigious award and for recognizing the importance and power of music education in our community. This recognition wouldn’t be possible without the vibrant music education we have here in Toledo,” says Hawary. “I especially want to acknowledge this year’s award finalists and all the music educators in our community. Their innovative approaches and unwavering dedication to their students inspire me constantly. Together, we try to nurture a love of music that echoes throughout our classrooms and helps bring people closer together.” 

“We are honored to pay this public tribute to these heroes of our community. This is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to acknowledge their important contributions and to show our appreciation,” says Trudel. 

The 2024 Outstanding Music Educator Award Finalists included Amanda Stierman (Start High School), Michelle Keaster (Monclova Christian Academy), Samuel Maran (Lake Local Schools), and Sarah Sargent (McKinley STEMM Academy). 

For more information about Toledo Symphony’s Outstanding Music Educator Award or educational outreach opportunities for schools, please contact Rachel Schultz at rschultz@artstoledo.com or visit toledosymphony.com/education. 

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ABOUT TOLEDO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 

The Toledo Symphony Orchestra is a community-supported organization of professional musicians and teachers who deliver quality performance and music education for all. 

Formed in 1943 as The Friends of Music and incorporated in 1951 as the Toledo Orchestra Association, Inc., the Toledo Symphony Orchestra (TSO) has grown from a core group of twenty-two part-time musicians to a regional orchestra that employs sixty-nine professional musicians who consider the Toledo Symphony their primary employer, as well as numerous extra players annually as repertoire demands. 

On January 1, 2019, the Toledo Symphony and Toledo Ballet officially merged to form the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), a new non-profit organization dedicated to providing exceptional live music and dance performances and education for the region. This partnership promises to create new and invigorating programs, provide cost and revenue synergies in operations, and integrate the arts through shared educational missions. 

The Toledo Symphony reaches more than 260,000 individuals annually through performances and education programs. The series concerts (Masterworks, Pops, Chamber series) are the critical underpinning of the orchestra’s artistic mission and regularly draw people from 135 postal zip codes. Education programs, student performances, and community concerts are held in schools, neighborhood churches, performing arts centers, and community facilities throughout the region; many are offered at no charge or provided at a reduced fee to help expand participation.