At a $95-a-plate fundraiser in Orem on Saturday, supporters of the arts gathered for dinner, a silent auction and a live auction to benefit the SCERA's Endowment for the Arts and its arts programs.

This year's black-tie gala was emceed by retired KSL-TV newscaster Dick Nourse. Roasted chicken breasts and herbed new potatoes, followed by blueberry cheesecake, were served on black table clothes overlaid with metallic silver.

During the live auction following dinner, participants, using star-topped wands to bid, paid $525 for an autographed lithograph of John Stockton, $350 for an iPhone, $500 for a Liz Lemon Swindle print, and $300 each for two family portrait packages, among other items sold.

More than 20 people were honored with Star awards for their contributions to the arts in Utah County. Here some of the individuals who received awards:

The 5 Browns

The 2008 Star Award went to The 5 Browns -- Ryan, Melody, Gregory, Deondra and Desirae Brown. A desire to give their children music prompted parents Keith and Lisa Brown to introduce their offspring to the piano, giving birth to a phenomenal talent that has given them the opportunity to share their music with the world. This family of classical-music virtuosos garnered national attention when The 5 Browns spent eight weeks at number one on the Billboard Classical Charts in 2005. The following year, their "No Boundaries" album also reached number one and stayed there for 21 weeks. Their talent was recognized early, and all five were accepted into the famed Juilliard School at the same time. Their first wave of national acclaim came in 2002 when People magazine dubbed them the "Fab Five" and they appeared on Oprah and 60 Minutes. Audiences have come to love their "scorching, thundering piano," and they have been cheered throughout the U.S., United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan and Korea.

Norm Nielsen

The Lifetime Achievement award was given to Norm Nielsen. A creative thinker with excellent vision, Norm first showed his talents at BYU, where he traveled the world as a performer and helped manage Janie Thompson's Curtain Time USA. He furthered his leadership skills in Hawaii, where he directed the Polynesian Cultural Center. When he returned to Orem, Norm became President of SCERA, where under his 22-year tenure the arts flourished with the building of the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre and expanded even further with a major addition to the historic SCERA movie theatre that now serves hundreds of thousands as the SCERA Center for the Arts. Norm believes the arts can change lives and is fond of saying, "Let's get kids high on the arts, not drugs." He and his wife, Rosanne, also took the helm of the Miss Utah Pageant, instituting a required service project for each contestant that was later adopted by all 50 state programs. Norm served as President of the National Association of State Pageants.

James Arrington

The Star Award in the category of theater went to James Arrington. Audiences watching Arrington perform may be tempted to ask, "Will the real James Arrington please stand up?" Arrington is a satirist, a slapstick comedian, a social commentator, an entire family of really funny and really bad reunion-goers, or the embodiment of Brigham Young. This talented writer, producer, director, actor and Utah Valley State College professor has been entertaining audiences for nearly three decades. From his original one-man shows "J. Golden" and "Brother Brigham" to his hysterical signature piece "Farley Family Reunion" to directing dozens of productions, Arrington has played to standing-room-only crowds. He has a lot of fun with Mormon culture, but one suspects it's only, as Heber Farley would shakily explain, "Because we all love it so much."

Kim Delgrosso

The Star Award in the category of dance went to Kim Delgrosso. Kim's passion for dance began in childhood, and she has become a sought-after and respected teacher. She owned two dance studios in Colorado, and when her family moved to Utah 20 years ago, she realized she would have to put together the resources if her daughters -- now six of them -- would have the dance opportunities she wanted for them. Kim has been affiliated with Center Stage Performing Arts Studios for the past two decades and has amassed an excellent staff who teach ballet, jazz, tap, ballroom and hip-hop. Two professional companies, Odyssey and Origins, have their roots at Center Stage. Kim is also in the process of launching a national dance repertory company that will tour the country. Many of her dancers have appeared on "Dancing With the Stars," including her daughter Ashley. Delgrosso has done considerable dance consulting, including guiding Marie Osmond toward a third-place finish on "Dancing With the Stars." Other Delgrosso dancers have appeared on network television shows "So You Think You Can Dance," "Grease," and "Dance Wars." One pupil was recently accepted to Juilliard, and another will perform in "Cirque du Soleil" in Las Vegas. Kim was recently named one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in the Arts in the state of Utah.

Tom Holdman

The award of recognition for Visual Arts was given to Tom Holdman, who created eight panels of stained-glass at the SCERA Center representing theater, music, dance, visual art and more. Holdman is a Utah artist who has found his voice through glass. His work also beautifies the Orem Public Library and LDS temples in Palmyra, N.Y.; Nebraska; So Paulo, Brazil; Nauvoo, Ill.; New York City; and San Antonio. With his stained-glass creations capturing the luster of the divine, Holdman, a self-taught artist, has found considerable success, including a 10,000-square-foot studio at Thanksgiving Point and a team of assistants to help create works of monumental art. His largest commission was more than 3,500 square feet with more than 40,000 individual pieces of glass. Tom's artwork has been published in many national and international magazines and newspapers, including USA Today and The New York Times.

Mack Wilberg

The Star Award for Music went to Mack Wilberg. One of the members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir compares the renowned choral group's associate director to the superhero character Underdog. On the surface, he is mild-mannered and humble, yet put on his cape -- or in this case, his pen and his baton -- and he becomes an unstoppable talent whose arrangements and compositions have made him the biggest-selling composer for the prestigious Oxford Press. Dr. Wilberg's music has many clamoring for his work, including the world-famous King's Singers, who agreed to sing with the choir with one caveat: that Mack Wilberg arrange their music. Prior to his choir assignment, he made a substantial contribution to the arts in Utah County for a decade as a professor of music at Brigham Young University. He performed with the American Piano Quartet, and directed two choirs that rose among the top of BYU's performing groups -- the Men's Chorus and the Concert Choir. Whether composing a requiem to celebrate the newly restored Tabernacle on Temple Square or taking a much beloved hymn and adding layers of depth and beauty, Dr. Mack Wilberg is a gifted musician who communicates eloquently through his music.

The Friend of the Arts - Individual award went to Stephen and Sandra Covey. Evidence of the Covey's long-term commitment to and love of the arts is especially apparent in Provo at the new Covey Center for the Arts. Sandra Merrill Covey, a long-term member and past chair of the Provo Arts Council, spearheaded the fundraising drive for the 42,000-square-foot facility that boasts a 670-seat theater, three dance studios and an art gallery. The Coveys were generous in this effort, donating $2 million toward the project. As a 17-year-old, Sandra was accepted into the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as its youngest vocalist, where she was introduced to the tour liaison, Stephen R. Covey. They eventually married and raised nine children, instilling in their hearts and minds a belief that arts and education are fundamental to a rich life. Sandra found a venue for her talents as a BYU Education Week speaker and writer whose works include magazines, manuals, skits and plays. Stephen R. Covey is known throughout the world for his literary art -- motivational books and leadership principles that revolutionized the genre. His "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" was hailed by Chief Executive Magazine as the most influential book of the 20th Century, and Time Magazine lauded him as one of the 25 most influential people in 1996. Together, the Coveys wrote another successful book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Families."

Rocky Mountain Power

The Friend of the Arts - Corporate award was given to Rocky Mountain Power. Since 1988, The Rocky Mountain Power Foundation has awarded more than 6,840 charitable grants totaling approximately $43.4 million to groups including the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, SCERA, Utah Symphony, Ballet West, Moab Music Festival, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Tuacahn Center for the Arts, Kimball Arts Center in Park City, Heber City's Cowboy Poetry Gathering and many more. The Rocky Mountain Power Foundation is part of PacifiCorp, one of the largest utility-endowed foundations in the United States. The foundation's grants come from a separate endowment funded from shareholder dollars and not a ratepayer expense taken from power customers. The Rocky Mountain Power Foundation awards grants in four categories: civic and community betterment, arts and culture, health and human services, and education.

The award for Advocacy of the Arts went to Marc and Sharon Haddock. Marc and Sharon have been actively involved in the arts both onstage and behind the computer for the past two decades. Both are journalists -- he for The Daily Herald and she for The Deseret Morning News. For 14 years at the Deseret News, Sharon has advocated comprehensive coverage of local art organizations and events through articles, features and reviews. The arts have also received an enormous boost from her role as editor of Utah Valley Life, a section of the newspaper dedicated purely to arts and entertainment. Marc is an editor for The Daily Herald's North County Newspapers Group and frequently runs news stories and information about the arts in the six weekly papers he oversees. Often, he grabs a camera to capture a rehearsal for a high-school or local arts production. His passion, however, is on the stage. Marc has been acting for 20 years, most recently seen as the priest in the Hale Center Theater production of "Don't Drink the Water." Marc and Sharon have seen productions in London and New York and all around the state of Utah. They know there are moments of pure magic on the stage, and nothing makes them happier than seeing some of that magic right here in Utah Valley.

Laura Folkman

The Star Award in the category of volunteerism went to Laura Folkman. Folkman has been volunteering throughout Orem for nearly two decades, whether at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, the Hale Center Theatre and SCERA, or helping the drama departments at local schools. With the basement of her house full of her own collection of costumes and props, Laura is always quick to say, "Well, of course you can borrow that." Her desire to assist, particularly in the arts, comes from her long-held belief that the arts need people with passion and time. As Laura describes it, "I see a gap, and I want to help fill it." Even after her daughter graduated from Canyon View Junior High and Orem High, she continued to lend her time and talent to helping their theater programs. For the past 16 years, Laura has been an active volunteer with the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, where her assignment is to create rooms for the storyteller guests, pick them up at the airport, make meal arrangements and transport them during festival week. She also serves on the Hale Center Theater's Board of Directors and was a member of the Orem Arts Council. Laura is one of those quiet heroes whose volunteer efforts deserve notice and appreciation.

Laurel Barham

Laurel Barham received the Special Recognition Award. Barham's foray into theater came on a dare from her husband Robert, when she auditioned for and got a part in SCERA's 1992 production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." Since then, she has performed in more than 50 stage productions, taught hundreds of drama classes, and been on the production side of more shows than she can count. But her true calling is teaching who she calls "her kids" as an elementary-school teacher, a volunteer for numerous theater programs, a children's acting coach at the Hale Center Theater, and currently as the program director for more than 300 kids in SCERA Youth Theatre. Ten years ago, Laurel founded Acting Up Theater for Youth and brought the group to SCERA two years ago, where the advanced performance team has evolved to tour nationally, take classes from Hollywood and Broadway professionals, and give service to such places as the San Diego Rescue Mission, an L.A. homeless shelter, the Christmas Box House in Salt Lake City, cancer centers, juvenile detention centers and more. Laurel was awarded the Orem City PTA Golden Apple and was a nominee in the Disney American Teacher Awards. More than the skills they've learned, students by the dozens credit Laurel for making a difference in their life and developing in them a deep love for the arts.