Message from the Executive Director

In last year’s annual report we were all about pivots and pirouettes, as the world kept throwing new steps at us. This year the choreography got a little more organized, closer to the image of an ensemble moving forward together (though with a number of zigs and zags, retreats and sidesteps, still in play). In the pages of this report you’ll see vivid evidence of our continued ingenuity in making the arts accessible in a changing world as well as our long-awaited return to live performances and in-person events.

We (along with the rest of the arts community worldwide) are still recovering, but based on the excitement I feel at the Hylton Center, I am pretty sure that the future is bright. If you were with us in April for Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr.’s electrifying concert, or in the audience for Ballet Hispánico’s rapturously received performance, you know what I’m talking about. But this annual report takes you behind the scenes with these artists as well, with a glimpse of their generous—and potentially transformative— encounters with area students during their visits to the Hylton Center. This is the future of the arts, and we are proud to play a role in making it happen.

Speaking of pride, be sure to read the articles on the Veterans and the Arts Initiative and our Education Initiative. I guarantee you will be glad you did, and proud to be associated with the institution that does this kind of good work in the community and the world.

And finally, a personal note of thanks to John and Tracie Jacquemin, whose generous gift to support our new Education and Rehearsal Wing is memorialized in the naming of its signature space and detailed in a lovely article in this report. Every time I walk into the Jacquemin Family Foundation Rehearsal Hall, I am reminded how important visionary philanthropy is to the success of our center—and what gracious people and good friends the Jacquemins are.

Enjoy this look back at a challenging, exciting, successful year!

Yours sincerely,

Rick Davis Executive Director, Hylton Performing Arts Center