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Ken Burns Supports Music Hall Capital Campaign
towncrierlogoHEAR YE!

March 2010 -- Filmmaker Ken Burns, Senator and Mrs. Judd Gregg, and 200-plus donors and supporters celebrated the announcement of The Music Hall’s capital campaign. The group gathered in a downtown Portsmouth storefront space twinkling with lights, filled with big band music, and alive with projected video and facts about The Music Hall and its 100,000 patrons. (See photos below)

At the private event held Saturday evening, February 27, The Music Hall’s Executive Director Patricia Lynch said, "The goal of restoring, rehabilitating and transforming The Music Hall into a performing arts center for the 21st century is now in sight.". $9 million has already been raised toward the full needs of $13.5 million. Nearly eighty percent of the contributions have come from visionary individual donors, new and old friends of the historic theater, board and professional staff members. 

Campaign Co-chair Jameson French welcomed celebrants from a makeshift stage in the raw space. The Music Hall’s Treasure the Future Campaign, accaording to French, will secure the legacy of the historic theater. IT will also advance its community and education programs and further stimulate the economy, he says.  

The major components of the Treasure the Future campaign are -- 

  •  
    • essential updating and modernization of backstage systems securing The Music Hall’s performance capability & safety;
    • extension of the theater’s historic finishes into the upper lobby and modernization of the concession stand; upgrading of the building’s façade and windows and recreation of the original chandelier and olio curtain;
    • the fit-up of the new Music Hall Center for Performing Arts & Education (the Loft) with and multi-use performance space/studio classroom;
    • and the establishment of The Music Hall’s first-ever endowment. 

 Early community support has reportedly been "breathtaking" thanks to visionary philanthropists, according to the Music Hall reports. The Music Hall has been a key driver in the cultural and economic re-emergence of the Seacoast and our programs have been lauded for their innovation and reach, bringing the community unprecedented access to today’s leading authors and artists. "The Music Hall brings the world to Portsmouth," said Campaign Co-Chair Gail VanHoy Carolan.  

Director Patricia Lynch said, "You are standing in the future Center for Performing Arts and Education -- The Music Hall Loft … this is a rising tide that lifts all boats."  

Without modernization of The Music Hall’s backstage, where we’re still working with 19th century equipment, and a thoughtful fit-up of this new space we cannot meet our audiences and community’s growing demands," Lynch said. "nor keep pace with other, more modern theaters." 

Ken Burns, acclaimed filmmaker and Honorary Co-Chair of the campaign heralded The Music Hall’s plans, particularly the addition of the Center of Performing Arts and Education for its community impact. "I am here because I believe in The Music Hall and support its plans for advancement. In our too-often disconnected world. The arts bring us back to our essential selves. The Music Hall is a beacon here in upper New England. Through its generous and diverse set of experiences, The Music Hall connects audiences and communities with creativity, purpose, art and life"

For further information on the campaign, visit the MUSIC HALL web site. Photos by David M. Murray, Clear Eye Photo.

February 27, 2010 Festivities

Patricia Lynch, Executive Director of The Music Hall, is joined by Mark McNabb, Paul Montrone, and Ken Burns.

Exterior of 131 Congress Street, Portsmouth, NH, the raw space that will become The Music Hall’s Center for Performing Arts and Education.

Filmmakers Ken Burns and Chase Bailey.

Interior wide shot: Patricia Lynch speaks from the stage with Ben Baldwin and Friends at The Loft

Courtesy The Music Hall of Portsmouth

 

 

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