Eric Holtan

Music director and conductor, Tucson Chamber Artists Inc.

Age: 36

Community involvement: Dove of Peace Lutheran Church, choir director; Evangelical Lutheran Church, Arizona-Nevada hymnal task force

First paying job: I had a paper route starting in third grade. (A monthly subscription was $3.05!)

Your mentor/whom you admire: Bruce Chamberlain, UA director of choirs, for his immense expertise and unrelenting pursuit of excellence.

Proudest professional accomplishment: Conducting Mozart's Mass in C-minor last fall with the Tucson Chamber Artists for our largest audiences to date.

A word from the nominator: "In 2007, several of TCA's donors, in recognition of his leadership, made substantial contributions earmarked for two of Eric's new projects, recording sessions and commissions of new works. . . . The result will be that more musicians and arts leaders recognize the growing importance of Tucson as a cultural center in Arizona and the Southwest, and this will expand the cultural offerings within this community." - David W. Galbraith, professor, University of Arizona and secretary, Tucson Chamber Artists Inc.