“Debora Spar, who took over in March as president of Lincoln Center, wants to attract new audiences,” writes Charles Passy in Thursday’s (4/20) Wall Street Journal. “She comes with one large mandate—to see that the center, in partnership with the [New York] Philharmonic, raises the $500 million needed to renovate David Geffen Hall, the orchestra’s home. Q: Talk about the $500 million challenge you particularly face with Geffen Hall. A: New York is a massively philanthropic, civic-minded city. And I think this city and its philanthropists have shown time and time again they will get committed to projects that are impactful. Q: Would you like to see more collaboration among Lincoln Center’s constituents? A: The obvious goal for Lincoln Center is to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Some of that already happens.… It would be great if we could do more collaborative work around ticketing and using data. Q: You are the first woman president of Lincoln Center. Do you feel women are underrepresented in leadership roles in the arts community? A: It’s not a question of how I feel. It’s just a fact: Women are underrepresented. This is true across all sectors of the country.”
Posted April 21, 2017
