Palm Beach Symphony Honors Three Educators with 2026 Randolph A. Frank Prize

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Mickey Smith Jr., Heather Lescaille, and Roberto J. Vidal honored by Palm Beach Symphony.

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Palm Beach Symphony has announced the three recipients of the 2026 Randolph A. Frank Prize for the Performing Arts. Instrumental musician Mickey Smith Jr. was named Performing Artist, dancer Heather Lescaillewas named Performing Arts Educator and choral musician Roberto J. Vidal was named Emerging Artist.

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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.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/miami/article/Palm-Beach-Symphony-Names-Three-Educators-Winners-of-2026-Randolph-A-Frank-Prize-20260527)._