Crutchfield was honored for his work with training the next generation of opera singers, his passion for bel canto and his extensive career.
Caramoor CEO Jeff Haydon, Caramoor Advisory Council member Zita Rosenthal and Caramoor supporter Emily Grant were in attendance to show support for Crutchfield.
Crutchfield, a noted American conductor, musicologist, and vocal coach, is a frequent guest conductor at the Polish National Opera. From 1999 through 2005, he served as music director of the Opera de Colombia in Bogotá.
As specialist in the bel canto repertoire, he prepared the first performing edition of Donizetti's "Élisabeth ou la fille de l'exilé" and conducted its world premiere at the Caramoor Festival on July 17, 2003. In addition to his work on vocal style, Crutchfield was the youngest music critic in the history of The New York Times, where he was a regular contributor from 1983 to 1989. He has also authored numerous reviews and articles for Opera News, including his "Crutchfield at Large" series.
Crutchfield has also been involved in training the next generation of singers. Many of the Career Bridges winners have benefited from the experience of more than one production at Caramoor.
He served on the faculties of Juilliard, Manhattan and Mannes, and he continues to devote the summer months to extensive training programs at Caramoor.