Director’s View: members make it happen
We are fortunate to have a loyal and growing group of members—almost 400 central Pennsylvanians and others—who support Center for the Performing Arts presentations and engagement activities.
New members join each month. We offer many membership levels and benefits along with the opportunity to help support the Center for the Performing Arts mission.
Membership is not exclusive. We’re proud to have members from across central Pennsylvania, including the State College, Bellefonte, Altoona, Clearfield, and Lewistown areas. Some members even live beyond the borders of the commonwealth.
I enjoy meeting members. Their passion for the Center for the Performing Arts and its programs is so evident in our conversations. They understand how important membership support is to the organization and take pride in being our partners.
We annually review membership benefits looking for ways to increase the value offered to our members. In 2007–2008 we expanded our preferred parking area to accommodate the growing number of members eligible for this benefit. Leadership Circle and Director’s Circle members may park in a reserved area of the Eisenhower Parking Deck or in the lot across the street from the deck. This valued membership benefit makes coming to and leaving performances quick, easy, and convenient.
Next season brings a new and sure-to-be popular benefit for our members—the opportunity, along with our returning subscribers, to purchase tickets for 2008–2009 presentations before they go on sale to the general public. The members-buy-first benefit will be a significant added value.
Membership is crucial to Center for the Performing Arts programs. Ticket sales and University support provide 65 percent of annual revenue. The next largest source is contributed income. Without it the Center for the Performing Arts could not provide a full range of performing arts programs to our region.
Members receive the satisfaction of providing the resources necessary to make a real difference in the programs we provide. In addition to helping ensure that we can continue bringing the high quality performing arts presentations for which we are known, members support our education, outreach, and residency programs.
We offer a variety of educational opportunities each season, including school-time performances that attract students from throughout the region. Our residencies connect visiting artists to the community in a variety of settings—informal concerts, workshops, demonstrations, and classes.
If you are a member, thank you for your support. If not, I urge you to join us. Memberships start at $50 a year. Becoming a member is easy, and you may join at any time throughout the year. Visit become a member, ask about membership the next time you visit Eisenhower or Schwab auditorium, or contact Dave Shaffer, assistant director for special programs, by e-mail or by phone at 814-863-1167.
Membership support is tax-deductible and counts toward annual giving to Penn State.
And now, here are some thoughts about our March presentations.
Bracketing Penn State’s spring break we offer two contrasting presentations—a renowned dance company and one of the most exciting string quartets performing today.
Compañía National de Danza from Spain returns to the Center for the Performing Arts March 4. Internationally acclaimed choreographer Nacho Duato’s company performs three of his works. Duato’s vision blends music, dancers, and movement in a unique language that, while elegant, reaches into the soul to touch the deepest emotions. The first work on the program is Gilded Goldbergs, with music for two pianos based on J. S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations. In Gnawa, the choreographer seeks to transmit, through the medium of movement, the sensuality of the Mediterranean landscape and the nature of its peoples. Por Vos Muero pays tribute to the role dance played in social events during fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Spain. Don’t miss this extraordinary company in a dynamite program.
The second Penn State premiere this season of a work co-commissioned by the Center for the Performing Arts takes place March 27. The exciting Brentano String Quartet brings us a new work by composer Gabriela Lena Frank, along with some chamber music favorites. Keeping with our theme this season of string quartets plus, the Brentano is joined by the quartet’s former cellist Michael Kannen to perform arrangements of Gesualdo madrigals and the great Schubert C Major Quintet. This promises to be a wonderful way to conclude our 2007–2008 chamber series in Schwab.
George Trudeau
Center for the Performing Arts director
