VIRGINIA — An Alexandria man is among 11 folk artists set to receive one of the nation’s most prestigious national heritage awards.

The National Endowment for the Arts announced yesterday that Moges Seyoum, an expert in Ethiopian Christian liturgical singing, chanting and sacred dance, would be a recipient of a 2008 National Heritage Fellowship, which includes a one-time award of $20,000.

Other honorees include a saddlemaker from Idaho and a maker of Peruvian altar boxes from Utah. Seyoum, who emigrated from Ethiopia in 1982, leads the performance of the musical liturgy on Sundays at Selam Kidist Mariam Church in the District.

Source: Washington Post