Renowned Saxophonist Dean Fraser and producer Stephen Stewart were among the seven persons honoured at the graduation exercise of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts on Saturday.

According to a release on Monday, both Fraser and Stewart were awarded the Bachelor of Music in Performance, Contemporary Music Studies, Honoris Causa, for their continued contribution to Jamaica’s cultural development in music and for producing a body of work that creates a fertile soil for scholarship, research, and development.

Fraser, who is also a composer, arranger and producer, was cited as a mentor artist whose responsible attitude has made him one of the most respected and professional practitioners in the local and foreign music industry.

Stewart, a musician, producer, engineer, songwriter, arranger, and audio engineering tutor, was lauded as one of Jamaica’s finest engineers, who has received several awards and recognition throughout his career, including the 1992 and 2021 Grammy Awards. The former for the Third World album “Committed” with the title song written and produced by Stephen and the second, for the Toots and the Maytals’ album, “Got to Be Tough.”

Stewart was recently invited to serve as a voting member of the Recording Academy for the Grammy Awards.

College Orator, Dr Amina Blackwood Meeks, who read the citations, said Fraser exhaustively crisscrosses the world as a cultural ambassador.

“Along the way to a long productive, respectable career, Dean’s presence enriches thousands of recordings, including Lauryn Hill’s The Miss Educating of Lauryn Hill, and Luciano’s Luciana’s New Day, both Grammy nominated.”

In addition to this conferment, Dean was recognised with the endowment of the Order of Distinction and a Silver Musgrave Medal in recognition of his contribution to popular Jamaican music and his mentoring of up-and-coming musicians.

A very emotional Stewart, who replied on behalf of the honourees, lauded his mother, the late Bishop Carmen Stewart, who although serving in a denomination which at the time might have frowned upon the arts as diabolical and unviable as a career, allowed him the freedom to pursue his dream and aspiration.

Lifetime Achievement Awards were also presented to present and past members of the Edna Manley College for their continued and unwavering contribution to the College and the Caribbean Cultural Creative industry: professional dancer Barbara Requa, past director of Studies of the School of Dance; artist and lecturer in the school of the Visual Arts, Hope Brooks; musician Kingsley Ibo Cooper, known as an active Pan Africanist and advocate for human rights; past director of Studies of the School of Drama and Director, Eugene Williams, one of the most celebrated student-educator-manager in the cultural and creative industries; and music educator, Derrick Stewart.