The St. Louis American Foundation Excellence in Education Award 2012
Prestigious award given annually to 8 educators that provide positive change and transition in education.
Duane Martin Foster
Biography
Honors and Awards
Arts and Education Council Art Educator of the Year 2013
Teachers from the St. Louis Area are chosen to receive this honor from the Arts and Education Council of Missouri.
Yale Distingulshed Music Educator Award
This award is given semi-annually to 50 public school music teachers from all 50 states from a pool
of 0ver 300 applicants. Winners receive an all expense paid trip to Yale for a week of seminars and performances.
Other Awards:
Benjamin Hooks Award in Education, NAACP 2016
Teacher of the Year Normandy High School 2011,2014
Teacher of the Year-Normandy School District 2011
Iota Phi Lambda Apple for Teaching Award 2011
Morehouse Dinstinguished Alumnus Award 2011
Dr.Duane Martin Foster is a native of St. Louis MO. and a proud alumnus of Normandy High School. He went on to receive his B.A. in Vocal Music from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. where he was a soloist with the acclaimed Morehouse College Glee Club. Foster continued graduate studies at New York and Northwestern Universities before taking a turn towards the stage. His career spans from musical theatre and opera to dance and film, having accomplished the highest level of excellence in each discipline. He received his dance training from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center studying with teachers such as Ann Forsyth, Pearl Primus, Dwight Rhoden and Joan Peters. On Broadway, Foster originated the role of famed African American Explorer, Matthew Henson and served as the understudy for the role of Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in the Tony Award winning musical, Ragtime. He made his Carnegie Hall Debut as the Tenor Soloist for Robert Ray's Gospel Mass with the New England Symphonic Orchestra. Other NYC credits include 3 seasons of A Christmas Carol (dir. Susan Stroman), Purlie and House of Flowers with Encores and as a member of the New York City Opera Chorus, he appeared as Sportin' Life in Porgy and Bess. He was also a member and soloist for the acclaimed Broadway Inspirational Voices.
Duane has appeared in some of the great regional theatres around the country including Hartford Stage, Alliance Theatre, Pioneer Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse and the amazing Muny Theatre in his hometown of St. Louis (Camelot, Showboat, South Pacific and Aida, The Muny 100th)
Foster has appeared on television as a dancer on the 1996 Ms. America Pageant. Other television appearances include The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Good Morning America. He also appeared in 3 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades with the cast of A Christmas Carol. His big screen credits include Preaching to the Choir , the Madrid International Film Festival Winning, Pennies for the Boatman and he even has a choreographer's credit for Leave it to Beaver (Movie).
Duane has toured the world as a featured soloist in Deauville, France, Vienna Austria, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and many cities throughout Alaska. His speciality is the Spiritual. His recorded voice can be heard on the soundtracks of the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Ragtime and Preaching to the Choir: and as background/featured vocalist for Linda Eder, Christy Baron and The Broadway Inspirational Voices' Great Joy.
These are just some of the accomplishments of Duane Martin Foster, all before making one of the greatest decisions of his life.
In the winter of 2005, he took a trip home to take a much needed retreat. On his second day home, he received a phone call from his mentor that would change the trajectory of his life. That call led to him accepting a teaching position at the same middle school that he attended and that had initially inspired him to pursue music and theatre. While at the middle school as a Speech and Drama teacher, he transformed the stage from a storage facility back to the sacred performing space he had known it to be when he was a student. One notable student by the name of Michael Brown played the role of Bobo in a workshop production of A Raisin In the Sun. In 2009, he transferred to the High School where he took over the vocal music program. While at the high school, he created the Normandy Dance Academy which has hosted residencies with the Houston Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Shaghai Ballet, Ensemble Espanol, Pilobilos and Alvin Ailey. Foster has mounted some major high quality productions such as Dreamgirls, A Raisin In the Sun, The Color Purple and Ain't Misbehavin. Foster will be mounting the much anticipated Cinderella in the spring of 2016. He has received over $16,000 in funding for his musical projects from the Maritz Corporation.
Duane was named Arts Educator of the Year by the Arts and Education Council of St. Louis in 2013.
In March of 2014, Foster took his Normandy Chorale to NYC to perform at the prestigious Carnegie Hall and in the summer of 2016 took a break from his kids at Normandy and directed the COCA Production of Memphis.
Foster has toured with the Phil Woodmore Singers with the Theatre of War's Production of Antigone in Ferguson alongside veteran actors of stage, film and TV such as Anika Noni Rose, Paul Giamatti, Reg E. Cathey and Samira Wiley....all while teaching choir, serving as Fine Arts Coordinator for the Normandy Schools Collaborative and serving as Minister of Music for the historic Washington Metropolitan AME Zion Church.
While serving as Dean of Students and eventually assistant principal at Normandy High School, Foster continued to participate in local theatre, appearing in Muny Productions of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The color Purple and Beauty and the Beast. Duane also appeared as the Dryer/Bus in Fly North Theatrical's production of Caroline or Change.
In August of 2023, Foster left his beloved alma mater Normandy High School and accepted a position as Assistant Principal at The Mason School of Academic and Cultural Literacy...an elementary school of choice in St. Louis Public Schools. In December of 2023, MR. Foster became DR. Foster as he received his Ed.d in Education Leadership from Maryville University.
Dr. Foster is currently gearing up for St. Louis Black Rep's Timbuktu in which he is starring as The Poet. He is happy to be back at COCA preparing the summer production of The Color Purple as the director...which will feature mainly Alumni of the COCA program.
Duane Martin Foster © 2013