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S. R. No. 15 *SS36/R694* ~ OFFICIAL ~ N1/2
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To: Rules
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) Chassaniol, McCaughn,
England, McLendon, Simmons (12th), Simmons
(13th)
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 15
A RESOLUTION EXTENDING THE RECOGNITION OF THE MISSISSIPPI 1
SENATE TO AWARD-WINNING MISSISSIPPI COMPOSER/PLAYWRIGHT/PERFORMER 2
HEATHER CHRISTIAN FROM NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI, AS THE RECIPIENT OF 3
THE 2026 GOVERNOR'S ARTS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MUSIC 4
COMPOSITION. 5
WHEREAS, the Governor's Arts Awards program has announced its 6
2026 recipients, which include award-winning Mississippi 7
Composer/Playwright/Performer Heather Christian From Natchez, 8
Mississippi, as the 2026 Governor's Arts Award recipient for 9
Excellence in Music Composition; and 10
WHEREAS, the Governor's Arts Awards program signifies the 11
important relationship between government and the arts. 12
Established in 1988, the Governor's Arts Awards program recognizes 13
individuals and organizations who have made noteworthy 14
contributions to or achieved artistic excellence in Mississippi 15
and is the most prestigious award for living artists in the state. 16
The Mississippi Arts Commission presents the awards each year in 17
partnership with the Governor's Office. The 38th Governor's Arts 18
Awards ceremony is February 12, 2026, at The Westin Jackson. The 19
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Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) and the Governor's Office are 20
pleased to announce four outstanding artists and one legacy arts 21
organization as recipients of the 2026 Governor's Arts Awards; and 22
WHEREAS, Heather Christian is a Drama Desk and two-time Obie 23
Award-winning composer, playwright, and performer known for 24
creating music-centered shows and rituals. Originally from 25
Natchez, she is the recipient of the 2021 Richard Rodgers Award, 26
the 2022 Stephen Schwartz Outstanding New Composer Award, and the 27
2024 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award. She is the BMI 28
Outstanding Score Winner and a Sundance Institute Time Warner 29
Fellow. Most recently, Christian was named a 2025 MacArthur 30
Fellow, commonly known as a "MacArthur Genius Grant"; and 31
WHEREAS, her recent composing and performing credits include 32
her own works: Oratorio for Living Things (Ars Nova, Signature 33
Theatre), Terce: A Practical Breviary (Prototype Festival and HERE 34
Arts Center), and Animal Wisdom (The Bushwick Starr, which is now 35
a motion picture with a remount set for Signature Theatre in 36
spring 2026). She also created I Am Sending You the Sacred Face 37
(Theater in Quarantine/YouTube—Vulture's Top Theater Experience of 38
2020) and Prime: A Practical Breviary (Playwrights Horizons' 39
Soundstage—IndieWire's #1 Podcast Episode of 2020). Additionally, 40
she has been a lead artist on devised works like Mission Drift 41
(National Theater, London) and The World Is Round (BAM); and 42
WHEREAS, when plans began for a brand-new musical based on 43
Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, her granddaughter and 44
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manager of the estate, Charlotte Jones Voiklis, chose Heather to 45
be the composer and lyricist because of her spiritual curiosity, 46
emotional depth and ferocious imagination. The world premiere of 47
the show was at Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage in the summer of 48
2025; and 49
WHEREAS, Heather is currently an artist in residence at NYC's 50
Signature Theatre, where her shows Oratorio for Living Things and 51
Animal Wisdom are part of the 2025-2026 season with a third show 52
to be produced in the future; and 53
WHEREAS, in film and television, her composition credits 54
include Lemon (Magnolia Pictures), The Craft: Legacy (Sony 55
Pictures/Blumhouse), Teenage Euthanasia (Adult Swim), The 56
Shivering Truth (Adult Swim), and most recently, A Good Girl's 57
Guide to Murder (BBC+Netflix). Heather has released 11 records, 58
taught vocal-based music composition at NYU and Princeton, and 59
owns and operates her own recording studio in Beacon, New York. 60
She can often be seen performing in concert halls and dive bars as 61
Heather Christian & the Arbornauts; and 62
WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we pay tribute and 63
express appreciation for the energy of a Mississippi composer who 64
has made Mississippi a better place and exemplifies the charitable 65
and artistic/musical traditions of our great state: 66
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF 67
MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby extend the recognition of the 68
Mississippi Senate to award-winning Mississippi 69
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ST: Recognize MS Composer/Playwright/Performer
Heather Christian as 2026 Governor's Arts Award
recipient for Excellence in Music Composition.
Composer/Playwright/Performer Heather Christian from Natchez, 70
Mississippi, as the recipient of the 2026 Governor's Arts Award 71
for Excellence in Music Composition and extend our congratulations 72
to this outstanding arts and civic leader on this auspicious 73
occasion. 74
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to 75
Heather Christian and made available to the Capitol Press Corps. 76