The Leo and Anne Michuda IPO Award for Lifetime Service
Leo Michuda was an Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra benefactor, board member, and 30-year member of the violin section. Anne, a renowned soprano and a highly respected vocal coach, offered the orchestra decades of unwavering guidance and support. Together, the couple’s love of music and deep commitment to philanthropy shaped IPO in lasting ways – through financial and musical support and through their steady presence and advocacy, including many receptions and musical events at their home, the “Villa di Musica.”
After Leo’s death in 2014, the IPO Board of Directors created this award to honor his memory and those who showed similar sustained, outstanding contributions and exemplary service to the orchestra. In 2026, the award was renamed the Leo and Anne Michuda Award in recognition of Anne’s equally lasting contributions to IPO.
The qualifications for the award include Excellence in Leadership, the Securing of Resources vital to the success of IPO, and the Application of Extraordinary Efforts to enhance the image or promote the artistic mission of IPO in the greater Chicago metropolitan area.
Past Awardees
2025: Lois and Stanley Birer
2024: Trish Halpin
2023: Carole Joy Brejcha
2022: Mel Muchnik
2021: Jerri Greer
2020: Dory Machtinger
2019: Pat Ormsby
2018: Marilynn Tannebaum
2017: Craig Grannon
2015: Helen Silvia
