Thanks to community support, Bitterroot Performing Arts Series lives on
Published: September 9, 2009
Thanks to the generosity of the Ravalli County residents, the Bitterroot Valley will have a performing arts series this season.
The Bitterroot Performing Arts Council announced recently that it will feature a six-show series starting Nov. 14 with Solas – America’s premier Celtic band.
“We’ve raised 80 percent of our financial goal in just six weeks,” said Mandy Barnings, the council’s secretary. “The community has just been phenomenal.”
The Bitterroot Performing Arts Council was formed earlier this summer in an attempt to salvage the series after news came that it would be without an underwriter for the first time in its history.
The council received its nonprofit status six weeks ago and has been fundraising ever since. A recent Salsa Night fundraiser brought in $10,000 in a single night.
The initial plan called for bringing seven shows to the Hamilton Performing Arts Center, but Barnings said the group decided to scale that back by one.
“We decided it was fiscally responsible to do six this year and be here again next year,” she said. “We didn’t want to risk being in the red at the end of the year.”
Nationally, only one-third of performing arts series funding comes through ticket sales. The rest is raised through sponsorships and donations.
The council asked the community to step forward and help. “The community has spoken and spoken well,” Barnings said. “They wanted this to happen and we’re going to make sure that it does.”
Solas, which will open the series Nov. 14, “offers a compelling, original, strikingly contemporary view of traditional Celtic sounds,” according to The Los Angeles Times.
“Emilylou Harris is one of their biggest fans,” Barnings said. “We’re very excited that they will open our series.”
December is still a surprise, but other performances locked in so far include the String Orchestra of the Rockies with Wu Man (an acclaimed Chinese pipa player known for her collaborations with cellist Yo-Yo Ma), a Cirque Soleil-like performance with Bird House Factory, and Chris Thile, who once played with Nickel Creek.
Barnings said season tickets are expected to go on sale shortly, and will probably range somewhere between $150 and $160.
The council hopes this first season will allow it to continue its mission to create sustainable support for the performing arts in the Bitterroot Valley.
Barnings said the council estimates it will need $95,000 to get through the first season. It hopes to raise $110,000 this year to ensure there is enough money to get started early on the next season.
“We don’t want to end up in the same situation as we did this summer,” Barnings said.
Anyone interested in helping can send donations to Bitterroot Performing Arts Council, 610 N. 1st St., Suite 5-220, Hamilton, MT 59840 or go to the council’s website at www.bARTc.org.
