ASCAP Standards Awards are granted by an independent panel and are based upon the unique prestige value of each writer's catalog of original compositions as well as recent performances.
Polay has taught at Knox College and directed the Knox-Galesburg Symphony since 1983 and was recently selected 1997-98 Illinois Conductor of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras. Polay has recently completed the third movement of his "Concerto-Fantasie," a commissioned piece, and "Sonnet" for violin and piano.
Polay earned his doctorate in music from Arizona State University, where he also served as assistant director of the University Symphony from 1981 to 1983. He was music director of the Southern California Philharmonica from 1971 to 1981.
Founded in 1837, Knox is an independent, four-year, liberal arts college, located in Galesburg, Illinois, with 1,100 students from 42 states and 33 nations. Knox's "Old Main," a National Historic Landmark, is the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.
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