Taneshia Nash Laird has “ambitious plans as the new president and chief executive officer of the Newark Performing Arts Corporation (NPAC), the organization that operates the iconic Newark Symphony Hall” in New Jersey, writes Barry Carter in Saturday’s (3/30) Associated Press. The 2,800-seat hall, built in 1925, is on the national register of historic places; it presented performances by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey State Opera, and New Jersey Ballet Company before the New Jersey Performing Arts Center opened in 1997. The hall “is 94-years-old and high maintenance. There’s 10-year-old water damage. The boiler broke down four times this winter…. The façade could use a power wash and repointing to prevent leaks…. Nash Laird said Symphony Hall needs $40 million worth of shine to restore her luster to the days when singer Marian Anderson performed in 1940…. The performance house stayed busy last year with 187 events … the city views the hall as the lynchpin of redevelopment for the Lincoln Park neighborhood…. Since coming on board in November, Nash Laird said she has raised $300,000 in grants for infrastructure… The challenge now, she said, is to come up with original programming that provides access to the arts for everyone.”
Posted April 1, 2019
