SPARK
Summer 2017
B L U M E N T H A L P E R F O R M I N G A R T S – I G N I T I N G C U LT U R E
FEATURE:
PUSHING THE INSIDE OUT | P.4
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Ignite a SPARK: Facebook.com/NCBPAC
CONTENTS
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Summer 2017
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Wynton Marsalis plays his horn in the streets of Charlotte during the Charlotte Jazz Festival. Photo by Phillip Hoffman.
Blumenthal provides travel opportunities that inspire students and artists, like AJ Glasco, above.
4 PUSHING THE INSIDE OUT
10 BLUMENTHAL IN PICTURES
8 PLANTING POSSIBILITY
12 CHARLOTTE'S CONCERT SCENE
FEATURE:
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Snapshots of the Organization's Reach
Blumenthal Adapts to Evolving Musical Landscape
Pictures Tell the Story in New Photography Exhibit
Inspiring Students and Artists Through Travel
13 A 'CAN DO' SPIRIT
Junior Ambassador Passionate About Helping Others
ON THE COVER: A crowd gathers outdoors for the Charlotte Jazz Festival. Photo by Robert Wilds.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Reginald Bean, marketing & community relations chair Riaz H. Bhamani Amy Rice Blumenthal Kristin Hills Bradberry, chair Marivi Bryant Bobby Chesney Dena Diorio Bobby Drakeford J. Porter Durham Jr. David M. Goodman Molly Griffin, education chair Timothy L. Gunter
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Jeffrey Hay, secretary and chair-elect Renee Hobart Sarah Hutchins L. Erin Lavely Barbara Meeks Gail Sharps Myers Edwin B. Peacock III George A. Raftelis Matthew Salisbury Kevin White, treasurer and finance & audit chair Amy Wooden
SPARK SPARK is produced by the Blumenthal Performing Arts Marketing staff. Vice President of Marketing Wendy Oglesby Content Coordinator, Editor and Graphic Designer Mark Wallace, creative services manager
Contributing writers: Liz Rothaus Bertrand Shameika Rhymes Courtney Devores
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Editing support: Lorrie Henry John Luebke
DIFFERENCE MAKER
AN IMPACT 'BEYOND POWERFUL' J. Porter Durham Jr. Helps Make 'Arts for All' Program a Reality
J. Porter Durham Jr., far right, poses with his family, from left, children Elisabeth Durham, Leighton Durham, Porter Durham in the jacket in back and Grey Durham; and his wife, Victoria Durham.
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By Liz Rothaus Bertrand
few years ago, Blumenthal Performing Arts board member J. Porter Durham Jr. received a special note from a child who had just watched a show at one of Blumenthal’s theaters. It read: “This experience has let me know that my dreams are possible.” “That, to my mind, is beyond powerful,” says Durham, who serves as chief operating officer and general counsel at Global Endowment Management. It captures the essence of why he supports Blumenthal’s efforts to expand access to the performing arts. Durham, who has served on Blumenthal’s board for about five years, is a major contributor to the Arts for All program. This unique communityfocused program enables children and Durham families, who wouldn’t otherwise have the means, the chance to attend a Broadway touring production at Blumenthal’s Belk Theater. Among the beneficiaries are the more than 1,000 children who participate each summer in local Freedom Schools’ enrichment programs.
For many of them, this is their first chance “Blumenthal is a special jewel in to see a live, professional show. the Queen City’s crown,” says Durham. “Cindy Rice was very interested in “Without it, we would be just another place making this program work and getting … a city without a community heart. That’s early, sustainable support for it,” says critically important, and we all should Durham, speaking of Blumenthal’s vice support it.” president of development. “We talked He’s found his work on the board to be about it several times while I served on the a fulfilling experience, too. “(Blumenthal’s) Development Committee, and it seemed board is deep and engaged, which makes it like a natural fit.” very enjoyable service,” he says. As a child, trips to the theater were a Durham, who also serves as a trustee of rare treat for Durham. “We mostly went to Johnson C. Smith University and the North the movies,” he says. “The Durham family Carolina Humanities Council, is gratified was a teacher’s household, so there was not to play a role in inspiring others. “To be a lot extra for those sorts of outings.” involved in ways that spark others is very But live performances, particularly important to me,” he says. “And I think music and musicals, have always been Blumenthal Performing Arts is a perfect special for Durham, who enjoyed doing vehicle for that involvement.” T a little stage work himself as a teen in Nashville, Tennessee, and later in college productions as a student at Duke University. Now, this father of four, along with his wife, Vicki, wants to give others the chance to experience the magic of the performing arts. They have taken their role as donors one step further too: their generous gifts to Blumenthal’s Arts for All program have served as matching pools to encourage others This note that J. Porter Durham Jr. received from a young theatergoer captures the essence of why he supports Blumenthal, he says. to donate. BLUMENTHALARTS.ORG
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PHOTO BY BECKY BEREITER
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PUSHING THE INSIDE OUT Charlotte and Blumenthal Adapt to Evolving Musical Landscape
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n a humid Friday night in June, a slight breeze carries the sound of twangy guitar and vocal harmonies down 7th Street. You hear the music before you see listeners scattered outside the College Street entrance of Spirit Square where a threepiece band is set up on a stage in front of the glass doors. It’s three-fifths of the Charlotte roots band the Loudermilks, known as the Edwards Brothers. On a different Friday, it's the sounds of live hip-hop and soul that fill the air. If you’re unaware of Blumenthal Performing Arts’ Sounds on the Square series, which places live performances outside Spirit Square every Friday through the end of August, this musical presence on the streets of Charlotte may come as a surprise. It’s all part of Blumenthal’s effort to push the music inside out. Continued on Page 6
COVER STORY BY COURTNEY DEVORES
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Continued from Page 5
“We’re pushing outside what we do inside, into nontraditional places,” explains Blumenthal President Tom Gabbard. “We’re extending the experience of the arts to places that are unusual or that aren’t conventional performing arts spaces and using that as a way to connect with people in the community that we haven’t had contact with yet, or maybe they’re unfamiliar with our facilities.” “I wondered what was going on,” says Laurence Shields of Lancaster, who works uptown and was passing by. “It seems like a good idea. The traffic and other sounds of the city aren’t necessarily pleasant. Hearing music outdoors downtown brings a bit more personality and positivity to the area.” For the Edwards Brothers, it’s a far cry from playing the Fourth of July outside the once trendy Penguin in Plaza Midwood, as Alan and Chad Edwards did with their old band, Lou Ford, 15 years ago. Here, it’s still daylight. A mix of families with children, couples and a handful of people who just got off work are spread out at tables a fair distance from the stage that sits atop the building’s front steps. The band for once, in its hometown, doesn’t know anyone in the crowd. “I didn’t really know anybody out there, and we had a fair amount of people hanging out,” says Chad Edwards, who shares vocals and guitar with his older brother, Alan. “We’ve been doing a lot more of that ... getting out of the box. All we’ve ever played is rock clubs, and that whole landscape is changing.”
MAKING THE ARTS MORE ORGANIC
Charlotte’s musical landscape is changing. Four live music venues not far from uptown closed in the past two years. Three were sizeable, capable of holding around 1,000 people or more. Two
PHOTO BY PHILLIP HOFFMAN
Andrew LeDuff was grand marshal of the Charlotte Jazz Festival second line parade.
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PHOTO BY BECKY BEREITER
Chad Edwards plays with the Edwards Brothers at Sounds on the Square at Spirit Square.
were over 20 years old, and the fabled blues club, the Double Door Inn, dated back to 1973. While that leaves some citizens mourning their old haunts, it has brought attention to live music in Charlotte and led existing promoters and venues, and even Charlotte Center City Partners, to re-examine the value of live music and the way it’s presented. Blumenthal is taking the music usually reserved for inside its venues outside to help make encountering the arts part of daily life in Charlotte through free, live jazz, hip-hop, rock and dance performances. The week before the Edwards’ show, there was a larger crowd – and more diverse in age and race – taking in live hip-hop and soul on the square at Spirit Square than there was listening to cover bands at nearby bars like Flight or the Epicentre’s Wild Wing Café. “There’s no question it increases the vibrancy,” Gabbard says of free, outdoor entertainment. “Uptown is a very attractive place to be, but when people are surprised and delighted by music and other art they just kind of stumble on, it takes that experience and elevates it.” PHOTO BY BECKY BEREITER Charlotte Center City Partners Blumenthal started Sounds on the to enhance the uptown was thinking much the same thing. Square experience with a live outdoor music. As Blumenthal’s plan to push the inside out was forming, the seeds for CCCP's Music Everywhere initiative were germinating. In March, CCCP announced the project to promote live music throughout uptown and its surrounding area. “We want to highlight the scene and start to make people more aware of it,” says Robert Krumbine, chief creative officer and senior vice president of events at CCCP. With the city’s cooperation, he says music can become viable economically as well as culturally. “When you look at music cities such as Austin or Toronto, they don’t see it as an art. They see it as something that makes an economic
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benefit for the city.” John Tosco of Tosco Music, which hosts five annual concerts including June’s sold-out Beatles’ Tribute at Knight Theater, is optimistic about the state of the scene. “Even though there’s been a recent pattern of closings, I have a strong feeling that there’s a lot of support for Charlotte’s music scene, which is why so many people are talking about it,” says Tosco. Given the number of transplants, Charlotte is somewhat like a new city learning as much about the habits and desires of its new citizens as they are learning about the city. “There are so many people moving to Charlotte each day with different tastes in music. Many love the freedom and openness of a great concert in the park or amphitheater in the summertime,” says Tammy Greene, who promotes smooth jazz concerts as The Jazz Diva and has emceed recent concerts at Romare Bearden Park. “If they come from a city that provided free concerts, it’s something they come to expect and support in their new city. I scale back on my indoor concerts in the summer because people love to be outside no matter how hot the weather is. How do you compete with a great afternoon in the park with live music?” Tosco, who sees crowds of new faces at each Tosco Music Party or open mic night, equates the atmosphere to building community. “When you’re at a festival enjoying live music, you aren’t there isolated. You’re part of a community of music lovers. It’s one of the beautiful things ... regardless of politics or religion, if you love that same band, you have that in common,” he says.
WELCOMING THE LOCAL ARTISTS
If you look deeper, the city is also following the example set by its residents. Seven years ago, at the height of the recession, Brass Connection, a family band of horn and percussion players, began gathering outside Belk and Knight theaters with their trombones and tubas, just as concerts and Broadway musicals were letting out. Their spirited Dixieland-style renditions of classic Motown and contemporary hip-hop were a strange and welcome surprise. Rarely had Charlotte seen such a seemingly unplanned display of exuberant joy and musical chops. Instead of shooing the street musicians away, Blumenthal welcomed them. The venue let the band know which shows should draw big crowds and when to show up. Now audiences expect it when leaving a big show. “We get a lot of great feedback. As long as it feels good to the
PHOTO BY BRIAN TWITTY
A musician entertains the crowd outdoors at Street Jam, part of Breakin' Convention.
PHOTO BY PHILLIP HOFFMAN
A crowd joins in the fun of the second line parade during Charlotte Jazz Fest.
people, it feels good to me,” says co-founder and drummer Bill Jones, who has watched the streets fill up with buskers since Brass Connection started doing it seven years ago. “Everybody’s out there now. We feel like we started this stuff and everybody joined in, but no one that’s there is anything like us.” It helps that Brass Connection’s rollicking New Orleans-style grooves are worth stopping for. The show is more interactive than a formal theater setting with crowds calling out requests. For the past couple of years, Blumenthal has added a free daytime component to events like Breakin’ Convention and the Charlotte Jazz Festival with public performances that promote the shows and add a layer to the cultural landscape of a city better known for its banking than its art. “We’re also finding an opportunity to give a lot more visibility to local artists,” adds Gabbard. Winners of Blumenthal’s Loonis McGlohon Student Jazz Competition and artists from its Open Mic nights have been featured at Sounds on the Square, as well as established local artists. “It’s a win-win for everyone,” says jazz singer Nicci Canada, another featured performer. “It exposes people to local artists they may never have heard of. It’s an opportunity (for local artists) to possibly gain more fans and promote our next projects.” It also pays, which is important given the changes in the industry and the infrastructure of the local live music business. “We never ask any of these artists to perform for free,” says Gabbard. “For some of them, it’s the first time they’ve been paid. For students, what we’re hoping is that it establishes in their minds a professional approach to their art.” For Chad Edwards of the Edwards Brothers, it’s a matter of changing with the times. “The old business model of rock clubs relying on people being interested in the music to bring people out and fill their bars doesn’t work like it used to. Rock ’n’ roll isn’t the center of popular culture anymore.” Recently, he and his brother have been playing more breweries and coffee shops than clubs. “The breweries bring people out,” he says. “They’ve got an audience already and they’ve got funds. So it’s a different thing. You’re playing largely to people you feel like aren’t paying attention at all, but all over the room there will be people listening. Just not engaging. It’s been an evolution over the last 10 years or so. We’ve adapted.” And Charlotte is adapting, as well. T
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PLANTING POSSIBILITY
Blumenthal Inspires Students and Artists Through Travel
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By Shameika Rhymes
magine the excitement of taking a flight for the first time, or more so, leaving the U.S. for the first time. Or maybe stepping onto a national stage for the first time. You couldn’t help but feel inspired. Those kinds of experiences are at the heart of Blumenthal’s drive to push exposure to arts beyond the Queen City. Through various programs, Blumenthal Performing Arts inspires students and artists by introducing them to new ideas and networking opportunities and helping them understand the larger community of which they are a part. Blumenthal President and CEO Tom Gabbard says it’s all about extending Blumenthal’s mission to inspire. “We felt that inspiration needs to be fired up by getting beyond Charlotte. In cases where we want to develop artists and people with unique skills, that means sometimes stepping beyond what’s familiar to them to get their minds working and open to possibilities,” Gabbard explained. Blumenthal purposely created travel opportunities, not only to inspire students and artists, but to help propel them forward. “The process of nurturing these artists goes beyond being cheerleaders, but also aids in developing a professional network that will help them become
From left, DeNeer Davis and AJ Glasco enjoy the sights in London while there for Breakin' Convention in April.
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Bluz does some freestyle at the Breakin' Convention park jam during his visit to London.
successful in the future,” said Gabbard. For AJ Glasco, breaking into the London arts scene was a no-brainer when offered the opportunity to go abroad to Breakin’ Convention, an international festival of hip-hop dance theater. “The trip as a whole was amazing! We got to experience how widespread the excitement for Breakin’ Convention was all over the city,” Glasco said. He also picked up some creative tools in London to help him transform as a dancer. “I learned more ways to create solely based on emotion and how I can pull inspiration from all facets of life. I am definitely incorporating more conditioning of my body specifically for dance, and also helping my dance family, CrayzeeCollective, learn different methods of creation and expression,” Glasco said. Artist DeNeer Davis, who also went to London, found a deeper connection with other artists there. “The artists over there were so free spirited. They did what they felt in their hearts with passion and allowed it to flow within their craft. I was truly inspired to follow my heart’s desire to keep painting and give everything that I have in what I do,” Davis explained. Spoken word artist and host Boris “Bluz” Rogers said the London trip for Breakin’ Convention taught him how much the very things that inspire him, like hip-hop, inspire those on the other side of the pond. “I’ve always known that hip-hop belongs to the world; so to experience it in London reminded me of how much hip-hop has influenced the world,” Bluz said. “Being in London was a first for me. It pushed my
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imagination and ideas on language and use of language to new levels. It also showed me how to engage an audience that does not necessarily share my American perspective or experience through my art,” he said. Bluz has taken what he has learned abroad to stoke the imagination of local students and artists. “Breakin’ also showed me how to foster homegrown talent and bring the community together for events that celebrate that talent and the arts as a whole,” he said. As a Slam Charlotte poet and mentor, Bluz also went to the Southern Fried Poetry Slam in Louisville, Kentucky, in June this year, and to the National Poetry Slam in Decatur, Georgia, last year as part of a partnership with Blumenthal. “A lot of slam teams don’t have such awesome partnerships. Working with Blumenthal is something we don’t take lightly, and we do our best to make each trip to nationals a learning experience,” said Bluz. “We take an even deeper stock of being there and soaking it all in.” Thanks to Blumenthal, Zeinab Caskey can add seat filler for the 2013 Tony Awards to her resume. Seat fillers help keep the theater looking full on camera when guests leave their seat for a break or to present an award, for example. For Caskey, the experience not only got her a head nod from legendary actress Sally Field, but it affirmed something she already knew – theater was in her future. “The experience solidified my career path and confirmed that I’m exactly where I want to be. I’m a stage manager with a new (bachelor's degree in fine arts) from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts,” Caskey said. In 2014, Bailey Patterson got the same opportunity, but finding something to wear was a challenge. In an interview with the Gaston Gazette, Patterson revealed she wore a strapless black and white prom dress that she found at Goodwill. Patterson said her experience as a seat filler went above and beyond her expectations. “Perhaps the best moment of the night was when I got to take the stage during the ‘Rocky’ performance. I was lucky enough Bailey Patterson cherished her trip to be in the group that was going to to New York to be a seat filler for the cheer in the background of the Best Tony Awards.
Members of the Breakers for Life dance crew pose with the trophies they won in Atlanta.
Musical nominated cast! There are absolutely no words to describe that feeling you get when you stand on a stage of that magnitude in front of the 6,000 people in the crowd and the millions more watching at home.” Blumenthal also provided assistance for Charlotte area dance crew Breakers for Life to go to Atlanta in June to experience the Rock da Floor Kid Dance Battle. The Breakers for Life crew has participated in Breakin’ Convention in Charlotte for two years, showcasing moves they learned from their teachers Tron Robinson and Leah Visser. Michelle Youngs, special projects manager at Blumenthal, says going to Atlanta for the competition gives the kids a chance to show off their skills in front of a broader audience. “It enables them to compete with youth B-Boys and B-Girls from other areas of the country and not just each other,” she said. This year students brought home a win in the handstand contest, and second and third place in other dance categories. All of the students and artists are in agreement – without a helping hand from Blumenthal AJ Glasco gained inspiration for his own dance while on his trip to London to see to inspire their craft through Breakin' Convention. travel experiences, they wouldn’t be able to pay it forward and plant the seeds here in Charlotte to nurture the art scene. “These programs offer students and artists an opportunity to see their passion put to work. They get to see that something they may look at as a hobby or lifestyle has enough artistic merit to put on a big stage and tour the world,” said Bluz. T
“Blumenthal being able to provide an experience like this to a student – especially a young student thinking about pursuing theater – is nothing short of a blessing.” ZEINAB CASKEY
Zeinab Caskey
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BLUMENTHAL
in Pictures
Blumenthal supporters who were in New York to see The National High School Musical Theatre Awards, aka The Jimmy Awards®, go backstage after watching Miss Saigon at the Broadway Theatre. Eva Noblezada, front row, third from right is the former Blumey Awards winner and Jimmy Awards finalist who was cast as Kim in the musical revival.
The second line parade makes its way down Tryon Street during the Charlotte Jazz Festival in April.
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Blumey Award winner Justin Rivers performs at The Jimmy Awards.®
PHOTO BY HENRY MCGEE
PHOTO BY PHILLIP HOFFMAN
Hardin Minor, standing right, teaches kids the components of a performance character as part of Kids Night at Circus 1903 in May.
Students perform in the 2017 High School Musical Theater Awards ceremony, known as The Blumey Awards, in Belk Theater in May.
Former Lincoln Center President Jed Bernstein was guest speaker at the May 11 Blumenthal Business Leaders for the Arts luncheon hosted by Carolinas HealthCare System. Business Leaders members – who help Blumenthal provide entertainment, education and outreach programs – gather quarterly to gain insight into industry trends and share their interest in the performing arts.
Nicci Canada and the Dapper Street Jazz Band entertain the crowd at Sounds on the Square at Spirit Square.
Students from The Blumey Awards enjoy pizza with former Blumey winner Abby Corrigan, standing center, before Fun Home, where Corrigan stars as Medium Alison.
WBTV's Kristin Miranda interviews the family of Tony best actress nominee Eva Noblezada during the Tony Awards Viewing Party at McGlohon Theater.
PHOTO BY CATHERINE MUCCIGROSSO
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PHOTOS BY DANIEL COSTON
The Avett Brothers play at Bojangles' Coliseum for New Year’s Eve 2016.
CHARLOTTE’S CONCERT SCENE Pictures Tell the Story in New Photography Exhibit at Spirit Square
Aretha Franklin performs at McGlohon Theater in 2012.
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By Courtney Devores
ometimes it pays to look back to be able to look forward. That’s what photographer Daniel Coston has done with his current exhibit in the Knight Gallery at Spirit Square, “The Place to Be: Concerts in Charlotte,” which opened in June and runs through Nov. 22. The exhibit covers Coston’s work as a concert photographer over the last 22 years in Charlotte through 90 images. While he has photographed legendary acts like The Beach Boys and The Monkees on the road, and Johnny Cash at his very Coston last performance, much of Coston’s work was shot here at home. “I wanted to put together a show that represented things that people would recognize from Charlotte, or that they might see if they went out to a show in Charlotte,” says Coston. Since the mid-’90s, it’s been common for Coston to be at four shows in one night. "What is so amazing to me about Daniel is that he is shooting everything all the time,” says Hope Nicholls, who has played in Charlotte bands for decades, including her latest, It’s Snakes. “He moves so seamlessly through any room, any crowd, just getting the gist of the event ... and moving on to the next one. He’s there to document. I don’t know of anyone that has been more consistent in their work or done it for as long." Coston obviously has a passion for the work because no publication covers local live music that extensively, and a lot of the time he’s footing his own bill. “I’ve never seen myself as a photographer of BLUMENTHALARTS.ORG
my generation. I see it more as it was in the ’60s and ’70s … the people who went out and made it happen,” he says. Internationally-acclaimed, Gaston Countybased singer-songwriter David Childers, who used some of Coston’s photos for album art and promotion, says: “He has a way of capturing a moment in time and the people in the moment and giving you a distinct impression, right or wrong, of who they are.” Coston’s devotion to the local music scene placed him in the audience as bands like The Avett Brothers were taking root. He began shooting them at Puckett’s Farm Equipment and followed them all the way to the Spectrum Centre in December. “There’s still something about the enthusiasm of playing for 10 or 20 people and to capture the visual to what it feels like to be there at this moment,” says Coston. “I always want my photographs to be a counterpart to what the musician is doing.” Coston, who is originally from Seneca Falls, New York, moved to Charlotte when he was 11. He was a writer (he’s since written two books) and videographer before shooting concerts for “Tangents,” a local alternative paper, in 1996. “When I got a camera in my hand, I felt like I had a purpose,” he says. His philosophy remains loose. “I don’t go into shows with hard ideas. I let the show tell me.” He has included many local musicians in the exhibit along with famous folks like B.B. King, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, who performed a tribute to Whitney Houston right after her death. Of the locals, he says: “Those are the folks that are the backbone of the music scene.” He hopes the exhibit encourages people to explore the city’s live music. T
A 'CAN DO' SPIRIT Award-winning Junior Ambassador William Fitzgerald is Passionate About Helping Others
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William Fitzgerald, center, was among the Junior Ambassadors who received scholarships this year.
By Liz Rothaus Bertrand
elping others seems to come naturally to William Fitzgerald. The recent Hopewell High School graduate has been volunteering since he was a tot, struggling to learn to walk. At 18 months, William, who has Down syndrome, grabbed the biggest can of food he could carry and triumphantly walked it over to support a Thanksgiving food drive at a nearby grocery store. For William’s mom, Rina Fitzgerald, it was important that her son learn early to give back since she knew, with his disability, there would be times he would need to lean on others for support. “I wanted to put some deposits back in life,” she says. William has taken that mantra and run with it. From earning his Eagle Scout rank and tutoring at a local elementary school, to serving as vice president of his high school’s Key Club and creating his own annual Thanksgiving food drive and walk, William has put considerable energy into helping others. Over the last 15 years, William’s Walk has collected nearly 60,000 pounds of food for those in need and engaged more than 1,400 volunteers. In the midst of a busy extracurricular schedule, William also became a Blumenthal Performing Arts Junior Ambassador, a role to which he brought William Fitzgerald scans in tickets at the Jazz Room as part of his his trademark passion for doing good, ushering duties. working hard and inspiring others. His mom is often by his side, supporting his volunteer efforts and serving as his coach. The Junior Ambassadors program offers high school juniors and seniors the chance to gain an inside perspective on the performing arts through a year-long series of arts management and personal development workshops as well as active volunteering at the theater. “It is a joy to speak about William,” says Blumenthal board member David Goodman, who along with his wife, Barbara, generously fund the Junior Ambassadors program. “... (He) is everyone’s love and gave the most of himself to the program.” William’s participation and encouraging spirit has had a positive effect on many people. “Our house managers, volunteers and staff
loved working with William and Rina,” says Cliff Olson, director of volunteer services. “He would give and receive hugs and handshakes each time he came to volunteer. We all admired William and Rina’s ‘can do’ spirit.” These qualities made William the perfect choice for the first David Goodman scholarship – a $1,000 award to honor the contributions of a Junior Ambassador who goes far beyond the program requirements and is viewed as a leader among his peers. It joins the six other “Spirit of Service” scholarships, ranging from $500 to $1,500, that are awarded annually to outstanding participants in the Junior Ambassadors program. The scholarships help fund expenses related to the first year of college and come from donations in honor and memory of those who have loyally served Blumenthal Performing Arts. “There is no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way we treat children,” says Goodman. “... As a Blumenthal trustee, I was bestowed the honor of seeing performing arts in greater depth and recognize that the children are our succession plan. We have created a legacy to ensure (the Junior Ambassadors) program will continue for generations that follow.” William’s scholarship money will go toward buying his own laptop computer as he pursues coursework in communications, acting and dance at CPCC. But he has other plans, as well. “I want to help others,” he says. Ultimately, he wants to establish his own nonprofit organization, William’s Community Support Program, with the goal of mobilizing neighbors and friends to do good works. Making new friends and learning job skills as a Junior Ambassador have been highlights for William, who has long loved the arts (he’s an avid painter, pianist and dancer). “I learned how to advocate for the performing arts,” says William. He’ll continue Blumenthal board member David Goodman, who funds the Junior Ambassador program, as a full-fledged Blumenthal presents the first David Goodman scholarship volunteer in the fall. T to William Fitzgerald.
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THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SUPPORTERS Contributions received from May 6, 2016-May 6, 2017
PRODUCER’S CIRCLE $25,000+
Peg and Jay Adamczyk Barbara and David Goodman*
$10,000+
Mr. William M. Barnhardt and Mrs. Nancy B. Thomas* Dr. Milton and Arlene Berkman Philanthropic Fund Victoria and Porter Durham Beth and Jonathan Feit Vickie and Tom Gabbard Laura and Jeff Hay Renee and Chris Hobart Christine and David Longo Mr. and Mrs. William B. McGuire, Jr. Michael, Jaime and Allie Monday Jeanne and Rick Puckett Michael and Ann Tarwater
$7,500+
Betsy and Alfred Brand Mr. William K. Diehl, Jr. Belinda and Timothy Gunter Nancy and David Hauser Wendy and Michael Kahn
$5,000+
Elizabeth Austin Cathy and Jim Baily Christine and Arthur Becker The Blumenthal Foundation Amy and Philip Blumenthal Robin and Lea Burt Hona Childers and Daniel Browne Elizabeth and James Faulkner Michele and Walter Fisher Dorlisa and Peter Flur Bob and Jena Gallagher Sandra and Stephen Godofsky Dale Halton and Fred Wagner Beverly and Jim Hance Diane and Chuck Harrington Rebecca S. Henderson and J. Michael Booe Hope and Dhiaa Jamil Julie and Howard Levine Barbara and Josh Meeks Beth and Robert Monaghan Linda and Tony Pace Mr. and Mrs. George Raftelis Jean and Matthew Salisbury Carolyn and Robert Shaw Rose and Tom Sherard Lori and Eric Sklut Cheryl and Gregory Sprole Melissa and Kevin White Karen and Edgar Whitener Joan Zimmerman
$2,500+
Anonymous Becky and Michael Alcione Shavonda and Reginald Bean Julie and Riaz Bhamani Jeremy Blaney Ben Bourne Kristin and Buck Bradberry George Brooks Nathalie and Daniel Carrizosa Mary Catherine and Robert Chesney Amy and Alfred Dawson
Gloria and Peter De Arcangelis Dr. Bryan Edmiston and Mr. Felipe G. Edmiston Charlie Elberson Karen Griffin and John Galloway Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Gibbs Douglas R. and Elizabeth G. Goldstein Randy Griffin Mrs. Gail Grim Patti and Mark Hawley* Nora and Thomas Hughes Susan and David Jamison Juanita and Lloyd Johnson Janet and Neil Kaplan Kearns Saldinger Charitable Foundation The Leon Levine Foundation Sandra and Leon Levine Hedy and John Manry Dr. Shannon Moran and Mr. Joseph Lovallo Charlotte and Arthur Mott Anna and Tom Nelson Robert H. Norville, Jr. Kelli and Mike Richardson D. Nelson Rogers Wendy and Frank Rosen Ken Rothmel Brenda and Bill Ryan Jaye Salter and Daniel Brewster Mr. and Mrs. Jason C. Schmidly Lisa and Glenn Sherrill Norma and Rodney Short Sara and Morgan Spencer Patricia and John Stewart Lynn and Bill Sullivan Jennifer and David Teifer Jacqueline A. Tucker Ed Weisiger, Jr. and Betsy Fleming Mr. and Mrs. Michael L. White Bob and Dara Whiting Lisa and Kenny Wilson Amy Wooden and Joe Kolodziej Anja and David Zimmerman
$1,500+
Anonymous (3) Rick Abrams Holly and Jeff Atkins Randy Baker Bryan and Kristen Barboza Cheryl Barringer and Mike Sherman Anne and John Barry Renee and Mike Baumbach Joanne and Steve Beam Mrs. Kimberly Beason Linda and Ralph Beck Joyce and Andrew Berger The Donald H. and Barbara K. Bernstein Family Foundation Betsy Blackwell and John Watson Mr. and Mrs. Alan Blumenthal Andrew Blumenthal and Stephanie Baumann Dr. Denny Bolton Peggy and Ray Bouley Laura and Sam Bowles Chris and Steve Brace Pat and Tim Brier Kathleen Britton Mary and Frank Brown
James Bullock Dr. Chris Burkett Sarah and Bret Busby Joy and Chris Butler Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Case, Jr. Karmen Cassell Steve Clifford Elaine and Steve Coats Lori and Derek Copeland Catherine Cordle Harvey and Muri Corzin Karin and Sean Davies Joni and Aaron Davis Richard DelliSanti Pamela and Greg Dills Jim Donahue Claude Duet Michele Durkin Marcia and Bob Dynko Sidney and Andres Echevarria Kelli Enos Chad and Denise Everett Carolyn B. Faison Marilyn and David Furman Todd E. Gardner, MD Michael George Joseph and Carol Gigler Todd Glenham William Griesser Debby and Mike Groenhout Robin and Blaine Hawkins Dr. Koh Herlong Eric, Lori, Halle and Casey Hillman Juliet and Brian Hirsch Sarah Hollar and Peter Macon Carol and Chris Horn Mr. and Mrs. William T. Houser Larissa and Ken Huber Peggy and Jim Hynes Beth Ipock Michelle Johnson Virginia A. Kern Mary Jean and Howard L. Kushner Patty and Chris Lambert Eleanor Ehrhart and Dominick Landi Erin Lavely Marc and Xhenis Levack Margie and Victor Lisciani Julianne Marley Ashley and Scott Mattei Jill Maxwell and Joe Pallassino Suzy and Ed McMahan Karen and Robert Micklash Ms. Marie Mitchell Colin Mutter Anne and William Newcomb Janet and Peter Nixon Brian Noonan Paul Norris Andrew Olah Dr. Helene Keyzer and Dr. Richard Pollard Susan and Dale Pond Gregory Price Jim Putnam Nadine and Leif Rauer Dr. and Mrs. Richard S. Roberts Lisa and Robert Rollins Anne Schmitt Vesime and Marty Schroering Michael Serulneck Andrew Silliker Judith Smith
Dr. Ramada Smith and Mr. Kevin Smith Tom E. Smith Dr. Matthew Wheelock and Dr. Jill Smith-Wheelock Cindy and David Soliday Jeri Dianne Stancil Dia and Paul Steiger Sheri and Kelly Straub Suzanne and Michael Stritch Dr. and Mrs. Robert Sullivan Carrie and Jeff Teixeira David Thomason Ellen and Ron Vilas Sandy and Greg Vlahos Neya Warren and John Hartmayer Mary Ellen and Reid Wilkerson Johnnie Willis and Michael Green In loving memory of my Rip – Cathey Winfield Nancy and Robert Wyatt
$1,000+
Anonymous (3) Keith Alyea and Fidel Montoya Trina Anderson Dr. and Mrs. Edward S. Baum Aaron Beck Scott Bengel Mr. and Mrs. Tony Bikhazi Bonnie and Jim Blair Rachel E. Brackett Mona Brandon Susan and Greg Brouse Marivi Bryant Peter and Cynthia Buck Bret Burquest Karen and Kevin Chapman Delane and Walter Clark Brent Clevenger Charlotte Cochrane Brian Collier Linda and Richard Cook Lori and Roger Cuddy Rose and Bill Cummings Bill Dantos Donna and Al de Molina Gaither and Robert W. Deaton Dena R. Diorio Betty Doria Pepper and Roddey Dowd, Sr. Brigid and James Downs Christine and James Drost Marcy and Fred Dumas Rachel and Jonathan Ellis Steven J. Ellis Elaine and Jeffrey Fagan Dr. and Mrs. Roger J. Fish Joyce Staley Ford Kayla Freeman Steven and Darcy Garfinkle Dr. Glenn Gaston John R. Georgius In Memory of Judy Gerhart Robin Gershen Anne Gilchrist The Gonzalez Family Mr. and Mrs. Mike Greene Molly and Robert Griffin Alex Haefele Neil Handelsman Pamela Hanna, M.D. Donna and Randy Helton Bill and JoAnn Hertzing
James Hill Kathy and Ben Hill Michelle and Brian Howell Brian Hunt Kathy and Charlie Izard Kathe Ingle David S. Jacobson Lynn Jeffrey Erich Jungwirth Linda and Kerry Kenner Debra and Steve Kinney Janice S. Ladley Glenn and Shelia Laiken Beverly and John Lassiter James Ledbetter Catherine and Jeremiah Malone Marie-Claire Marroum-Kardous Jane and Hugh McColl Mr. and Mrs. KP McCormick Dr. Edith Valladares McElroy and Dr. Clint McElroy Betsy and T. Bragg McLeod Dr. and Mrs. Alden Milam Shelley and Andy Misiaveg Jared Mobley Amy Murphy Wendy Oglesby and David Higbe Dr. Valerie and Mr. Barton O'Kelley Drs. Elaine and Thomas Pacicco Jack Page and Robert Myers Anne Patefield Mr. and Mrs. Edwin B. Peacock III Donna and Steve Pernotto Joy Pinchback Fidel and Laura Prieto Mary and Dave Pylipow Cindy and Randy Rice Sally and Russell Robinson William R. Rollins Carla and Ed Rose Chryll and Wayne Salow Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Schneck Jane and Nelson Schwab Dr. Marvin Shapiro and Mrs. Anita Shapiro Emilie and Gene Sharbaugh Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Shelton, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Donald J. Sherrill Peggy and Pope Shuford The Marc and Mattye Silverman Foundation Alessandra Skinkle Jan and Scott Smith Jennifer Smith Rosemary and Paul Smith Mr. Wayne B. Smith, Jr. William Swain Claire and Jim Talley Ben C. Taylor, III Mr. and Mrs. Jack H. Thomas Sandi and Ben Thorman Ellen and Jim Wade Diana and Matt Wakefield Jacqueline and Rusty Wasco Margo and Dave Wehrung Drs. James and Jackie Wheeler Raymond and Mary Williams Pat and Bill Williamson Velva and Tom Woollen * Members of The Legacy Society at Blumenthal
Membership gifts make inspiration possible in our community. JOIN TODAY! BlumenthalArts.org/givenow or call 704.379.1288 14 SPARK | SUMMER 2017
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DIRECTING PARTNERS Foundation For The Carolinas Publix Super Markets Charities
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ASSOCIATE PARTNERS BB&T Cabarrus Glass Company Inc. Carousel Capital Charlotte Business Journal Crosland Southeast Donald Haack Diamonds & Fine Gems
DTH IT Consulting Galvan Industries, Inc. Garmon & Company, Inc. Commercial Flooring Heede Southeast, Inc. High Performance Technologies Hood Hargett & Associates
Hoopaugh Grading Company, LLC Howard Brothers Electric Jenkins Peer Architects McCracken & Lopez, PA McGrann Paper Corporation McVeigh & Mangum Mechanical Contractors, Inc.
NC Interiors Contracting, Inc. Odell Associates Robert E. Mason & Associates, Inc. Rogers Unloading Service Schindler Elevator Corp. Tippens & Zurosky LLP
Velligan Medical Services, PC Xentegra
RESTAURANT PARTNERS
LEADERSHIP GRANTS Blumenthal Performing Arts receives support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.
The Arts & Science Council supports Blumenthal Performing Arts’ 2017 fiscal year budget with operating and programmatic grants.
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SUMMER 2017 | SPARK
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BLUMENTHAL PERFORMING ARTS 130 N. Tryon St. Charlotte, NC 28202
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Charlotte, NC Permit No. 3036
WE INSPIRE
CREATIVITY AND
PERFORMANCE Blumenthal Performing Arts has been entertaining and inspiring our community since 1992.
Your gifts make inspiration possible.
130 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202 704.372.1000 • BlumenthalArts.org
PHOTO BY BRIAN TWITTY