Performing Arts has been the
gold standard for performance
venues in Houston. >> 250 events a year, nearly
>> 250 events a year, nearly
half a million attendees to the
sea. You so it’s no wonder it’s
time for an upgrade. And right
now it’s in the process of what will be a 50 million dollar
will be a 50 million dollar
upgrade for this beautiful
venue. Joining me this morning
are 2 people intimately
familiar with the current plans
of how all of us can help Meg
Booth is the president and CEO performing Arts Houston, John
performing Arts Houston, John
Magnum is executive director
and CEO of the Houston
Symphony. It’s officially the
mark with Outkick Williams
chair name for an amazing been
effective for the symphony. Want to make sure I mention
Want to make sure I mention
that because someone who
donates the way that she has
kind of deserves that. Good
morning to you. Good morning.
This is already an amazing
venue. So let’s talk about what’s going on while was the
what’s going on while was the
need right now to go ahead and
do the upgrades we’re seeing
now.
John Todd opened in 1966.
over 50 years old. And as you can imagine,
can imagine,
>> they’re a little a little
work that we need to do to
really keep it fresh and at
the forefront of what a world class venue should be.
class venue should be.
>> Your organization is a
little bit different from his
organization. Tell me about
your organization. Yes, we complement each other very
complement each other very
well. So prefer merit to some
brings touring acts, both
national and international
touring acts to Houston from
around the world. So every
genre could be a little bit of everything from.
everything from.
>> Stop. A blue man group too
orchestras chamber music to
Alvin Ailey dance company.
Little bit of everything.
>> And the Houston, Stephanie.
Stands on its own. Well, thank
you. The distance of is one of
the country’s oldest founded
almost 110 years ago. we’ve
been performing in Jones Hall
since it opened in 1966,
there’s 90’s issues in the
orchestra. We’ve got a wide
range of activities out in the
community. We really are one of America’s great orchestra.
America’s great orchestra.
And the man just say that it is
rare that I ever hear music as
beautiful as I do when the
Houston Symphony is doing it.
>> It is amazing organization. Thank you for what your
Thank you for what your
organization is doing for this
community because you provide
the sad that we need some times
when we need to relax and
enjoy. So thank you so much.
Thank you. Why is it so
important for the renovations to take place right now?
to take place right now?
What kinds of things are going
to be going on that would
benefit the symphony? Well, we
really I think it will benefit
the city, but it also benefits anybody who’s coming to John’s
anybody who’s coming to John’s
Hall. We really want to make
it into a venue that even more
so than it does now provides a
superlative experience for patrons, you know. And so
patrons, you know. And so
that’s more spaces in the
lobbies, more ways to interact
with the performance is better
seating arrangement in the
Hall. Better acoustics in the
hall were bathrooms.
>> Yeah. you know, all kinds of things that will really
things that will really
transform that experience for
people coming to the hall.
So make talk about the
partnership of between you to
that. >> Really kind of pull
>> Really kind of pull
together. What is going to be
this familiar? This tremendous
campaign, 50 million dollars is
nothing to sneeze at that is
John’s holes. Remarkable because it is owned by the city
because it is owned by the city
of Houston for the benefit of
all of the citizens of Houston
the Symphony and performing
arts. Houston have been
residents in the hole since it opened in 1966. there is an
opened in 1966. there is an
organization called Foundation
for Jones Hall which draws us
together and together we are
leading this 50 million dollar campaign to renovate the hall.
campaign to renovate the hall.
It has a campaign work. I mean,
is it the ongoing now its
continuing? You’re halfway
there with we are halfway there
we raise 25.5 million towards the 50 million dollar goal.
the 50 million dollar goal.
It is largely being led by
private citizens in Houston.
But we’re thrilled to have a
contribution from the city of
Houston as well. And we’re still looking for additional
still looking for additional
contribution, OK, well, that
I’m sure that all of us want to
go into our pockets right now
and go ahead and try to be a
part of this. But 50 million
dollar camp and say it sounds like a lot to talk about some
like a lot to talk about some
of the changes that are going
on. I know that I’ve got some
pictures. I saw a lot of scouts
holding that up there and the
spaces where people would sit
are going to be impacted as well.
>> So there are improvements
to the that support better
acoustics. So many more sound
gets from the stage to the
patron sitting in a seat there
in the hall. So they really feel the impact of the the
feel the impact of the the
performance. You know, whether
it’s whether it’s the symphony
year when the music groups, the
Performing Arts, Houston brings
in to present and then all those changes that I kind of
those changes that I kind of
ticked off at the beginning,
you know, new spaces in the
lobby to support performances
in the lobby or exactly so.
You know, we can bring in groups in the community to
groups in the community to
perform in those spaces or
bathrooms, better patron
amenities, better flow of
people around the hall. More
accessibility. You know, people
in 1966, didn’t didn’t use the building the same way that
building the same way that
people do. Now, some want to
make sure that it’s an open and
welcoming place. Everybody in
Houston that they can get in
that they can enjoy a show. So some really transformative
So some really transformative
things going on.
>> So with the symphony been
doing, while all this work has
been going on in Jones Hall.
So, you know, the work has been
set up to happen during Summers, which is great because
Summers, which is great because
there are some other wonderful
venues in Houston.
>> I know we’ve been on the
Miller Outdoor theater. We’ve
been over the Hobby Center.
So you know it. It gives us a
chance to kind of get out into some different places. We did a
some different places. We did a
great series of concerts in the
neighborhoods this summer while
that construction work was
going on. So we get ready for
the fall and the winter and
you’re going to be right back
in there. Talk about some of the performances that are set
the performances that are set
to happen here.
>> Coming
up shortly, performer Tucson’s
first performance in Johnstown. The season is Diablo, which was
The season is Diablo, which was
an NBC. America’s got talent
sensation.
>> And they’re going to be
their October 14th and 15th.
And we have stopped the Blue Man group the season in
Man group the season in
>> There’s a lot going on.
And so how do you balance out
the schedule so that you have
yours and you have the
symphony? So what’s the symphony’s performance schedule
symphony’s performance schedule
like and Jones off? So we open
We’re doing at a performance
called Cirque de Lausanne
funny. So it’s circus arts and
the orchestra. And you’ve got
all kinds of acrobats and and
trapeze artists flying over the orchestra. What we
the orchestra. What we
performed, which is really
cool. And then we welcome our
new music director, your rival
on September 16th with a big
performance Chorus Orchestra
Varys Requiem, which is an
incredible experience. Just
overwhelming and it will send
even better with you can stick
improvements. We’ve made.
>> I love it. I love it.
I love. How can people help
raise some money? How can they
help contribute?
>> They can go to either.
The Symphony’s website are
performing Arts Houston’s
website or foundation for Jones
Hall’s website and get involved. One of the things I
involved. One of the things I
want to mention is that we’re
getting ready
next year change out all of the
seats and Johnson. Also brand new seeds. Very comfortable.
new seeds. Very comfortable.
We’ll have new aisles
wayfinding to seeds ADA access
is going to be So the anybody
coming to a performance next year is really going to notice
year is really going to notice
next year after we put in the
seats next summer. I’m really
improved. I love it all.
I love it all about this. All the reason more to go to
All the reason more to go to
websites. Want to put these on
my website traffic.
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