The Lyle DeYoung Award - presented annually by the Downtown Traverse City Association (DTCA) to honorees for "outstanding service, dedication, and impact within the downtown community" - was awarded to former long-time City Opera House Executive Director Diana “Di” Baribeau Thursday.

"With a career spanning more than four decades in arts administration, including 30 years at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts at Michigan State University, Baribeau brought her talents and deep passion for the performing arts to Traverse City in 2009, when she became executive director of the historic City Opera House," according to a DTCA release. "Under her leadership from 2009 to 2023, the Opera House entered a transformational period of growth and stabilization. Baribeau is credited with revitalizing the institution both physically and programmatically."

Scott Hardy, a board member of the City Opera House Heritage Association, said Baribeau "has done all of this with grace, humility, and an unwavering belief in the power of the arts to connect people. Her impact is felt not just in performances and programs, but in the very fabric of our downtown community."

The DTCA has presented the award annually since 1993 in memory of Lyle DeYoung, a longtime downtown business leader and advocate.

Pictured (left to right): Scott Hardy, Diana “Di” Baribeau, TC DDA Executive Director Harry Burkholder. Photo credit: DTCA.