Two Mercer University staff members and an honorary alumnus were honored with Cultural Arts Awards from the Macon Arts Alliance on Oct. 22.
The awards, presented annually by the arts alliance, recognize individuals, organizations and businesses who have made significant contributions to the cultural life of Central Georgia through their work or philanthropic efforts.
Julia Morrison, executive director of The Piedmont Grand Opera House and Robins Financial Capitol Theatre in downtown Macon, and Rob Evans, chief sound engineer for Mercer Music at Capricorn, were presented with medals during the annual awards ceremony, held at Mill Hill Community Arts Center in East Macon.
Former Allman Brothers Band member and Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell, who was awarded an honorary doctorate from Mercer in 2006, was presented with the Macon Arts Alliance’s Rosalyn Elkan Lifetime Achievement Award.
Morrison joined the Mercer staff in 2019 as director of arts marketing and community engagement. She was promoted to associate executive director of The Grand in 2025, and assumed her current role on July 1, 2026. The Capitol, which the University acquired in December 2025, is jointly managed with The Grand.
Beyond her Mercer role, Morrison co-founded the Fire Starters Indigenous Film Festival, contributes to Storytellers Macon, and played an integral role in the Macon200 Bicentennial Committee. She serves on the boards of Macon Pride, Big Brothers Big Sisters Heart of Georgia, and Friends of Rosa Parks Square. Morrison is a past chair of the Downtown Macon Community Association and was recently featured in Macon Magazine’s Five Under 40 edition.
“Julia believes deeply in Macon’s potential as a place where families, creatives and leaders can thrive together, and she lives out that belief daily through her work,” said downtown business owner Scott Mitchell, who nominated her for the award. “Her impact is unmistakable: She builds bridges, uplifts others and ensures that the arts are a powerful driver of innovation and belonging.”
Evans, BUS ’00, was instrumental in reviving Capricorn Sound Studios, part of Mercer Music at Capricorn, and has served as the studio’s chief engineer since it reopened in 2020. Since then, he has engineered more than 800 recording sessions at the studio.
Evans, who earned his Master of Business Administration at Mercer, also serves as an adjunct professor of music technology for the Townsend School of Music. Through his work at the studio and the classes he has taught, Evans has mentored numerous young musicians and music production professionals.
He also was involved in launching two of Macon’s most enduring music assets — the annual Bragg Jam Music Festival and 100.9 The Creek, an Americana music radio station that streams worldwide. He has played with a number of Macon-based indie rock and Americana bands through the years, including The Buckleys and Hank Vegas. In 2022, Evans mixed the soundtrack for the Emmy Award-winning concert film A Night of Georgia Music, which aired on PBS station across the country.
“In addition to all of his music contributions to Macon through the years, Rob also is one of the most humble, thoughtful individuals you will ever meet,” said R.E.M. founding band member and Macon native Mike Mills, who nominated Evans for the award. “He has mentored many young musicians and audio engineers, and he quickly gives credit to others. He is a worthy recipient of the Macon Arts Alliance’s Cultural Arts Award.”
Leavell, who along with his wife, Rose Lane, owns Charlane Plantation, a tree farm and hunting preserve in neighboring Twiggs County, assisted with the restoration of Capricorn Sound Studios, where he recorded with the Allman Brothers and his own band Sea Level in the 1970s. He continues to contribute to recording sessions at Capricorn and regularly performs throughout the world.
The Macon Arts Alliance’s mission is to foster and support the advancement of arts and culture in Central Georgia. Its work is supported in part by the Macon-Bibb County hotel-motel tax and the Georgia Council for the Arts through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly.
