Palm Beach Symphony Announces Winners of the Prestigious 2026 Randolph A. Frank Prize for the Performing Arts

West Palm Beach, Florida (May 26, 2026) – Palm Beach Symphony has announced the three esteemed recipients of the 2026 Randolph A. Frank Prize for the Performing Arts. Instrumental musician Mickey Smith Jr. was named Performing Artist, dancer Heather Lescaille was named Performing Arts Educator and choral musician Roberto J. Vidal was named Emerging Artist. 

2026 Randolph A. Frank Prize for the Performing Arts winners Mickey Smith Jr., Heather Lescaille and Roberto J. Vidal (Credit: Palm Beach Symphony)

These deserving awardees were honored for their contributions to the enhancement of the cultural and artistic life of Palm Beach County, commitment to excellence in the field and, when applicable, their teaching experience. Since 2019, Palm Beach Symphony has annually honored up to three individual performing artists and arts educators in Palm Beach County who split a $10,000 monetary prize.  

Mickey Smith Jr. was recognized in the category of Performing Artist. Palm Beach Symphony previously honored him as the 2024 Instrumental Music Teacher of the Year for his accomplishments as Associate Director of Instrumental Arts at The King’s Academy in West Palm Beach. The Louisiana native is an acclaimed saxophonist who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Smith can regularly be found performing in the heart of West Palm Beach at CityPlace. Using his gift of music, he is always uplifting the spirits of those in attendance at his performances. With his combination of saxophone playing and verbal communication during his motivational speaker engagements across the country, he elevates teachers’ mindsets through empowering messaging. Smith also invites students to perform alongside him to give them real-world performing experience. He has been the featured artist in Downtown West Palm Beach’s Soul in the City Concert Series and performs for 10,000 people annually. He has also performed alongside legends including Gloria Gaynor, Wendy Moten, Wycliffe Gordon and Jeremy Jordan, and performs not only as a solo artist but with his band Sax in the City comprised of his family, wife/singer Eugenia, daughter/singer/musician Mikayla and son/trumpet player William. Smith’s playing is characterized by technical precision and a soulful, rich tone that resonates emotionally with listeners, making him stand out as a performer who connects on a personal level with his audience.  

Recipient of the Randoph A. Frank Prize in the Performing Arts Educator category is Heather Lescaille. The Palm Beach Gardens native is a member of the first class of dance majors at the Palm Beach County School of the Arts, which is now Bak Middle School of the Arts and Dreyfoos School of the Arts. In 2014, Lescaille returned to Dreyfoos and in 2016 she was appointed dean of the dance department. In this leadership role, she has choreographed original ballets and staged classical repertoire including Don Quixote, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Le Corsaire, The Sleeping Beauty, Pas de Quatre, The Nutcracker, Napoli Variations, Diane and Acteon, and La Bayadère. A strong advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration, Lescaille directed Synergy in 2017 and 2018, encompassing large-scale productions uniting the dance and orchestra departments. These performances provided students the opportunity to collaborate on major works such as Balanchine’s Serenade and Concerto Barocco, as well as Swan Lake. For the past three years, she has directed the Winter Arts Medley at Dreyfoos, a school-wide performance that engages every art area onstage and behind the scenes. The production has become a beloved holiday tradition and a celebration of the school’s collaborative spirit. In 2022, Lescaille was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the most influential teacher of a U.S. Presidential Scholar. Lescaille was previously a faculty member of the Orlando Ballet School and a principal teacher for the trainee program and upper school division at Ballet Florida. Following the closure of Ballet Florida in 2009, she co-founded and co-directed the Florida Dance Conservatory, a community dance school providing pre-professional training for students ages three to 18. Lescaille’s vision is to continue the Dreyfoos legacy by inspiring young artists to think creatively, work with discipline and pursue their dreams. Beyond technical excellence, her commitment is to guide students toward becoming thoughtful, responsible and successful adults. 

This year’s honoree in the Emerging Artist category is Roberto J. Vidal. Cuban-born and South Florida raised, Vidal serves as the Chorus Director, Vocal Academy Director and Fine Arts Department Chair at Eagles Landing Middle School in Boca Raton, Florida. In his seven years there, he has led his choral program to exceptional success, consistently earning high ratings in district assessments and competitions. Vidal’s choirs are recognized as the only public, non-auditioned middle school choral groups in Palm Beach County with two ensembles earning Superior with Distinction ratings at district assessments. Most recently, his program was selected as a finalist for the prestigious Latin Grammy in the Schools presented by the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation, further cementing its reputation for excellence. He was also named a 2026 GRAMMY Music Educator Award Quarterfinalist and selected as the 2025–2026 Middle School Conductor for both the Palm Beach County District Honor Choir and the Spotlight on Young Musicians concert at the Kravis Center. His ensembles have graced renowned stages, including Carnegie Hall in New York (2023), Benaroya Hall in Seattle (2024), the Honolulu Heritage Festival in Hawaii (2025) and Lincoln Center in New York (2026). His students regularly participate in prestigious district and state honor choirs, as well as solo student performances on national platforms including The Voice and America’s Got Talent. Vidal is the founder of the ELMS Vocal Academy, offering students exceptional solo training across various genres. He also serves as a conductor with the Young Singers of the Palm Beaches, where he leads the Bel Canto and Encore ensembles. He is a dedicated and active musician, frequently contributing as a vocalist, accompanist, clinician and adjudicator throughout Florida. His professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, the American Choral Directors Association and the Florida Vocal Association. Driven by a deep passion for musical excellence and the vocal development of young voices, Vidal pursued a bachelor’s in music education at Florida State University, graduating summa cum laude with a double major in voice and piano, and is currently advancing his expertise with a Master of Music Education. He creates a safe and welcoming learning environment in the chorus room at The Nest while sharing his passions and talents with the music industry at large. 

(standing) 2026 Randolph A. Frank Prize for the Performing Arts winners Mickey Smith Jr., Heather Lescaille and Roberto J. Vidal; (seated) Randolph A. Frank Prize for the Performing Arts founders Nancy and Jay Parker and their granddaughter Caroline (Credit: Capehart Photography)

The Randolph A. Frank Prize was established in 2009 by Nancy and Jay Parker, longtime friends of Dr. Randolph A. Frank, an avid patron of the arts. Palm Beach Symphony has managed and hosted the prize since 2019.  

Nominations for the 2027 awards will open in November 2026 and close in February 2027. Nominees are judged by a panel of industry professionals from Palm Beach County and beyond. Applicants may self-nominate or be nominated by someone who can speak to their artistic contributions, achievements, goals, experience and commitment to excellence in their field. To learn more about eligibility criteria and for a complete list of previous winners, visit PalmBeachSymphony.org.  

Palm Beach Symphony’s education programs are made possible through support from The Paul and Sandra Goldner Conservatory of Music, Ray K. Farris, James R. Borynack and Adolfo Zaralegui / FINDLAY Galleries, Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Foundation, Paul and Karen Levy, Mr. William Robertson, Charles Frederick Schmidt, The Annette Urso Rickel Foundation, Edith Hall Friedheim/Eric Friedheim Foundation, PNC Foundation, The Walter & Adi Blum Foundation, Inc., with additional funding from Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Cultural Council for Palm Beach County Arts and Cultural Education Fund, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Proud sponsors of Palm Beach Symphony include, Bank of America, Mrs. James N. Bay*, Carol and Harold Baxter/Baxter Family Foundation, C. Kenneth and Laura Baxter Foundation, Inc., Kathy Lee Bickham and John Bickham, , Leslie Rogers Blum, Je?rey and Tina Bolton, James R. Borynack and Adolfo Zaralegui / FINDLAY Galleries, Broder Family Foundation, Thomas and Carol Bruce, Cindy and Jerome Canty, Amy and John T. Collins, The Colony Hotel, Suzanne Mott Dansby, The David Minkin Foundation, Susan Hurley Esson, Mary and Will Demory, Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Foundation,  Willard H. Dow and Kelly Winter, Dr. Richard and Diane Farber, Ray K. Farris, Teresa and John Ford, Bill and Kem Frick/The Frick Foundation, Inc., Edith Hall Friedheim/Eric Friedheim Foundation, Gerry Gibian and Marjorie Yashar, Paul* and Sandra Goldner, Douglas and Jo* Gressette, Irwin*, and Janet Gusman, Walter Harper, Thomas E. Harvey & Cathleen P. Black Foundation, Doris Hastings Foundation, Carol S. and Joseph Andrew Hays, Marsha and Carl Hewitt, John Herrick, Addison Hines Charitable Trust, Lisa and George Hines, Hospital for Special Surgery, Cathy Jacobson, Charles and Ann Johnson/The C and A Johnson Family Foundation, Joseph Kasputys and Vicki Van Mater, Dr. Aban and Dr. Percy Kavasmaneck, Elaine Kay, Michele and Howard Kessler, Leonard and Norma Klor?ne Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, Patricia Lambrecht/The Lambrecht Family Foundation, E.M. Lynn Foundation, Maurice Moradof/Yafa Signed Jewels, Terrence Murray / The Murray Family Charitable Foundation, Donald C. McGraw Foundation, The Honorable Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, The McNulty Charitable Foundation, Tish Messinger, David Moscow, Norman and Susan Oblon, Park Foundation, Patrick and Milly Park, Nancy and Ellis J. Parker, III, PNC Private Bank, Lois Pope, Provident Jewelry, Ari Rifkin/The Len-Ari Foundation, Dr. Martha Rodriguez and Dr. Jesus Perez-Mendez, Annette Urso Rickel Foundation, Karen Hunt Rogers, The Honorable Ronald A. Rosenfeld, Nancy and Dr. William Schneider, Seth Sprague Foundation, Robin B. Smith, Susan and Dom Telesco/The Telesco Foundation, Inc., Don and Mary Thompson, Jerome and Carol Trautschold, Travel Leaders Palm Beach and Explora Journeys, Sieglinde Wikstrom/The Wikstrom Foundation, and The Ann Eden Woodward Foundation/James and Judy Woods, Susan and Bob Wright.

*Deceased

ABOUT PALM BEACH SYMPHONY 

Palm Beach Symphony is South Florida’s premier orchestra known for its diverse repertoire and commitment to community. Founded in 1974, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization adheres to a mission of engaging, educating, and entertaining the greater community of the Palm Beaches through live performances of inspiring orchestral music. The orchestra is celebrated for delivering spirited performances by first-rate musicians and distinguished guest artists. Recognized by The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County with a 2020 Muse Award for Outstanding Community Engagement, Palm Beach Symphony continues to expand its education and community outreach programs with children’s concerts, student coaching sessions and master classes, instrument donations and free public concerts that have reached more than 90,000 students in recent years. For more information, visit www.palmbeachsymphony.org.  

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