The Center for the Performing Arts

Transcription

1 A Presidetial White Paper The Ceter for the Performig Arts Office of the Presidet The Pesylvaia State Uiversity The Ceter for the Performig Arts 1

2 The Ceter for the Performig Arts A World-Class Performig Arts Ceter i Cetral Pesylvaia The Ceter for the Performig Arts at Pe State plays a crucial role i the vibrat campus ad commuity life of Pe State ad the Cetre regio. A cultural gem set i the middle of Pesylvaia, the ceter presets atioally ad iteratioally reowed artists ad compaies, plas ad implemets educatio ad commuity egagemet programs, ad commissios ad presets ew work. The ceter also maages Eisehower ad Schwab Auditoriums ad provides productio, ticketig, ad audiece services for Pe State ad exteral orgaizatios. Pe State studets ad area residets proudly share its offerigs with family, frieds, ad out-of-tow guests, kowig they ca cout o breathtakig performaces that dazzle ad captivate the hearts ad spirits of audieces. The ceter eriches ad ispires o a grad scale, brigig to rural cetral Pesylvaia the kids of cultural opportuities usually foud oly i metropolita areas. Like all performig arts orgaizatios i the Uited States, the Ceter for the Performig Arts depeds upo private support for a sigificat portio of its operatig budget. Although the Uiversity supplies a ifrastructure of fiacial support for facilities, maiteace, ad staffig, the ceter relies heavily upo a combiatio of eared ad cotributed icome for its programmig. As we strive to keep the ceter accessible to our commuity ad truly iovative, we are seekig a door with the foresight ad visio to ame the Ceter for the Performig Arts ad uderwrite its programs. A trasformatioal gift creatig a major edowmet will geerate depedable fudig well ito the future, allowig the ceter to maitai its traditio of excellece ad develop i ew directios to advace the performig arts ad further erich our campus ad the cultural life of the regio. A Artistic ad Cultural Legacy The ceter s roots lie with the Artists Series, which bega i Usig a variety of facilities for symphoies ad other larger cocerts, the Artists Series origiated to offer the very best i the performig arts to the campus ad commuity a missio that remais at the heart of the ceter today. The Artists Series The Ceter for the Performig Arts 3

3 foud a home i 1974 with the completio of the 2,500-seat Milto S. Eisehower Auditorium, which still provides the perfect eviromet for symphoies, Broadway musicals, opera, ad dace. Schwab Auditorium has also prove to be a resourceful host for more itimate performaces such as chamber music ad jazz. After more tha a decade of further developig its top-otch programs, the Artists Series merged with Auditorium Maagemet i 1985 to become the Ceter for the Performig Arts ad a uit of the College of Arts ad Architecture. As the ceter has developed over the years, the Pe State ad Cetre regio commuities have see icreasig umbers of performaces featurig the most respected ames i performig arts. Classical artists like Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlma, James Galway, ad Marily Hor have delighted audieces with their virtuosity. Jazz greats such as Wyto Marsalis, Ray Charles, Lioel Hampto, ad Betty Carter have igited the auditoriums with blazig itesity. Numerous Broadway musicals have graced the Eisehower stage, icludig Les Miserables, Cats, ad Mamma Mia! Today, the Ceter for the Performig Arts cotiues this proud traditio by offerig high-caliber performaces i a wide rage of geres each seaso. The seaso, for istace, offered a lieup that icluded such shows ad artists as: Virtuoso violiist Joshua Bell Jazz piao legeds Dave Brubeck ad Ramsey Lewis The Merce Cuigham Dace Compay Celtic fiddler Natalie MacMaster s Christmas i Cape Breto The Eroica Trio ad Chamber Music Society of Licol Ceter Argetia s Tago Bueos Aires i Fire ad Passio of Tago The tourig Broadway musicals Moty Pytho s Spamalot, The Color Purple, ad Sprig Awakeig With these performaces ad may other programs, the ceter has brought the world to cetral Pesylvaia, etertaiig, ispirig, ad educatig more tha 60,000 people each year. Advacig Art ad Buildig Commuity Coectios The Ceter for the Performig Arts acts as ot just a coduit but also a advocate for the arts by supportig the creatio of ew works ad providig opportuities for studets ad the commuity to make meaigful coectios with the artists who write, compose, choreograph, direct, desig, ad perform i theater, music, ad dace. Cultivatig the arts by commissioig ew works has eabled the ceter to preset 4 The Ceter for the Performig Arts

4 world-premiere performaces by such artists as the Kroos Quartet, Urba Bush Wome, Bill T. Joes, ad the St. Lawrece Strig Quartet. The ceter co-commissios chamber music works through membership i a atioal cosortium. Some of the ceter s most importat work, moreover, egages audieces beyod simply seeig the show. The ceter ivites may visitig artists to arrive before their performace dates to egage i curriculum-coected programs for studets, commuity outreach programs, ad other residecy activities. Two ogoig projects illustrate the ceter s commissioig ad residecy programs i actio. I August 2010, the ceter was awarded a major grat from the Creative Campus Iovatios Grat Program, fuded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foudatio, that supports a iovative eightee-moth residecy ad creatio program parterig Pe State studets ad faculty i architecture, ladscape architecture, dace, ad egieerig with Los Ageles-based Diavolo dace compay. Etitled The Secret Life of Public Spaces, the project allows Pe State studets ad faculty to immerse themselves i Diavolo s creative process, culmiatig with site-specific dace-based works created ad performed by studets ad the world premiere of a ew work by Diavolo. I Jue 2011, the ceter secured the largest grat i its history from the Adrew W. Mello Foudatio for a three-year classical music project. Major residecy programs with a opera compay ad a major America symphoy orchestra will costitute a key compoet of the project, as will studet egagemet activities allowig iteractio betwee studets ad the artists i both traditioal ad o-traditioal veues. Curriculum parterships will itegrate classical music artists ad projects with the Pe State arts ad humaities curriculum to provide studets with a more comprehesive uderstadig of the history ad culture surroudig the gere. I additio, Pe State s Altooa campus will host artist residecies ad preset performaces i partership with the ceter. Goig forward, the Ceter for the Performig Arts will focus o expadig commissioig ad residecy programs like these ad seekig ew approaches especially iterdiscipliary approaches to itegratig those activities ito the academic ad cultural life of Pe State ad the Cetre regio. These programs will also advace the ceter s stature amog uiversity-based performig arts ceters, which will i tur allow us to attract the highest-quality performers ad iovative artists to our stages ad classrooms. Buildig a Edowmet for the Arts Pe State believes that the arts are vital to the Uiversity ad brig out the very best i a commuity by icreasig the quality of life for all of its residets. As testimoy to this teet, the Uiversity allocated The Ceter for the Performig Arts 5

5 approximately $1.5 millio directly to the ceter this year for salaries ad beefits. Additioal support is provided through the Uiversity s geeral operatig budget for facilities maiteace ad upkeep, utilities, isurace, jaitorial staff, ad other services. Fuds for programmig, commissioig, educatioal programs, ad outreach, however, come primarily through ticket sales ad private support. Extesive programs like The Secret Life of Public Spaces ad the three-year classical music project are made possible oly through major grats from atioal foudatios. While the Ceter for the Performig Arts ca ad does secure some grats of this type, its accomplishmets are still limited by the highly competitive ature of the oprofit fudig world for the arts ad humaities. Erichig the studet experiece is oe objective of Pe State s curret Uiversity-wide fudraisig effort, For the Future: The Campaig for Pe State Studets. This objective ackowledges that our studets thrive i a atmosphere that fosters creative expressio, global ivolvemet, commuity service, ad persoal growth. Pe State believes that a diverse ad stimulatig cultural life plays a importat role i creatig such a atmosphere. As part of the For the Future campaig, the Ceter for the Performig Arts is seekig a major ivestmet from a door who truly uderstads the great value of the arts to our Uiversity ad regio. Edowmet fudig i particular holds the key to a ceter that is sustaiable i the log term, oe that has the resources to preset familiar geres ad performers that attract repeat audieces while also supportig artistic iovators who are alive to the full possibilities of their forms. A trasformatioal, amig gift will geerate secure, reliable support i perpetuity that is depedet either o competitive, project-based grats or o the commercial attractiveess of a give artist. Although the ceter s eeds will vary from year to year, icome geerated from this edowmet will support the followig three goals: 1) Affordability ad Accessibility: Edowmet icome ca help to keep performace tickets affordable, esurig the broadest possible access to the performig arts. 2) Ehaced Educatioal Services ad Outreach: Edowmet icome ca beefit Pe State studets by supportig curriculum-coected programs with visitig artists, productio collaboratios with the Schools of Music ad Theatre, ad participatio i commissioed works. The commuity ca beefit from aual performaces provided for the schools as well as lectures, workshops, ad other presetatios from visitig artists. 6 The Ceter for the Performig Arts

6 3) High Artistic Quality: Edowmet icome ca provide stable fudig for artist fees, eablig the ceter to compete for the very best artists ad esembles ad reducig reliace o ticket sales, especially for artists ad geres that fall outside maistream popular culture. Such icome ca also ehace the ceter s commissioig activities, eablig studets ad faculty members to collaborate i the productio of ew works for the stage ad promotig Pe State as a atioal leader ad iovator i the creative process. For the Future of the Arts at Pe State The Uiversity is immeasurably eriched by a comprehesive ad iovative arts ceter that impacts academic ad studet life through curriculum ad egagemet programs. Vibrat commuities value a vibrat arts program. The aura of a high-quality performig arts ceter impacts a regio i iumerable ways from elevatig the quality of life, to providig opportuities for childre s erichmet, to fortifyig the ecoomic ad busiess climate of the commuity. Ever-chagig ad growig, the Ceter for the Performig Arts provides these ad may other beefits to Pe State ad the Cetre regio as it carries o its rich cultural ad artistic legacy. Esurig that the ceter ca cotiue to grow ad develop to meet the eeds of our Uiversity ad our commuity will require sigificat ivestmet. The leadig uiversity-based performig arts ceters i the atio have dedicated edowmets that provide the resources for programs that are atioal i scope, provide a sustaied ad meaigful impact o studets, ad make substatial cotributios to their campuses ad commuities. The performig arts ceters at other Big Te uiversities such as Illiois, Nebraska, ad Ohio State all amed ceters have the capacity to aually orgaize major projects ad host sigificat creative residecies for the beefit of their studets, istitutios, ad commuities. A trasformatioal gift to ame the Ceter for the Performig Arts at Pe State would provide it with similar resources, solidifyig the ceter s place i the top tier of uiversity-based performig arts ceters ad givig it the capacity to more fully itegrate the arts ito the fabric of the Uiversity ad commuity. With the sustaiable fudig this gift will geerate, the Ceter for the Performig Arts ca truly achieve its visio of erichig lives through ispirig experieces, ow ad for geeratios to come. The Ceter for the Performig Arts 7

7 To lear more about givig opportuities at Pe State, please cotact Rodey P. Kirsch, Seior Vice Presidet for Developmet ad Alumi Relatios, at or To lear more about the Ceter for the Performig Arts, please cotact George Trudeau, Director, Ceter for the Performig Arts, at or Pe State is committed to affirmative actio, equal opportuity, ad the diversity of its workforce. U. Ed DEV ajs 8 The Ceter for the Performig Arts