Darius Rucker To Headline Musikfest!

JUST ANNOUNCED:
Darius Rucker to Headline Musikfest!

With special guest Cassadee Pope

GRAMMY-winning, chart-topping country singer Darius Rucker will bring his dynamic blend of country hits and Hootie & the Blowfish classics to Musikfest when he headlines our Sands Steel Stage at PNC Plaza on Aug. 14!

• ArtsQuest Member pre-sale (gold and above): 1/20, 10am
• ArtsQuest Member pre-sale (all levels): 1/21, 10am
• Tickets on sale: 1/23, 10am

For memberships and more visit www.musikfest.org

ArtsQuest Announces Next President & CEO‏

Over the past 30 years, ArtsQuest has been honored to share some huge news with the community, most recently through the development of the SteelStacks arts and cultural campus. Today, we’re excited to share one of the biggest announcements in our history.

This afternoon, we announced that ArtsQuest Senior Vice President of Marketing and Advancement Kassie Hilgert will be named the next President & CEO of ArtsQuest.

Since joining ArtsQuest in 2008, Kassie has demonstrated amazing leadership abilities, an incredible passion for our arts and cultural mission and a thorough understanding of the Lehigh Valley and the many elements that make it so special. Kassie has developed numerous partnerships with local, regional and national corporate partners, community organizations and foundations, helping ArtsQuest greatly expand its arts and cultural programming in recent years. As Senior Vice President of Marketing and Advancement, she is responsible for overseeing the sponsorship, marketing, development, ticketing, public relations and volunteer departments, which include 27 full- and part-time employees dedicated to supporting our mission.

Over the next several months, Kassie will work closely with ArtsQuest Founder and current President Jeff Parks while meeting with ArtsQuest staff, board members, volunteers, sponsors, partners and members of our community. She will officially assume the President & CEO’s responsibilities when Jeff retires in January 2015.

As for Jeff, while he may be retiring after three decades dedicated to arts, culture and our community, he won’t be riding off into the sunset just yet. Starting in May 2015, Jeff will assume the part-time role as the new Executive Director of the ArtsQuest Foundation, the nonprofit foundation established to help ensure the long-term sustainability of our organization as we continue to grow and expand our programming for the region.

I invite you to congratulate Kassie on this great accomplishment when you see her. Under her leadership, along with the support of our dedicated and creative staff, board and volunteers, ArtsQuest will continue be a national leader in providing access to exceptional arts and cultural programs and events.

Joe Pietrantonio
President, ArtsQuest Board of Trustees

Easter Brunch at the Musikfest Cafe: 4/20

Start a tradition and join us for Easter brunch at the Musikfest Cafe presented by Yuengling!

Showcasing a delicious buffet of breakfast and lunch options, our brunch also features a special guest – The Easter Bunny will be greeting guests at the beginning of each seating! Oh yeah, there’s also musical entertainment by Tony Gairo!

Two Seatings: 10am and 12:30pm | View the menu

Call 610-332-3378 for reservations!

Stay for the PEEPS® Hunt in the afternoon!

Bring the kids to search for Just Born PEEPS® Chicks and enjoy a visit from the Easter Bunny! It’s free!

Ages 3 and under: 1:00pm
Ages 4-7: 1:30pm
Ages 8 and older: 2:00pm

ArtsQuest Plans Yearlong Effort Of Events To Support Bethlehem South Side

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Northampton County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ArtsQuest is organizing a yearlong effort to bring multiple art events to Bethlehem’s South Side business district.

The effort, called Artists Among Us, would include an Urban Arts Festival on the South Bethlehem Greenway, artists-in-residence working with city youth and a cast-iron block installation on the greenway highlighting the neighborhood’s many ethnic groups.

ArtsQuest is hoping to get a $300,000 grant from ArtPlace America, a nationwide arts foundation, to help fund the $500,000 initiative, ArtsQuest President Jeff Parks said today. ArtsQuest is one of 97 finalists for $20 million in available funding, Parks said.

ArtsPlace America officials encouraged ArtsQuest to publicize its grant application and will visit the city next week, so local officials are hopeful that they’ll receive money from the organization, said Patrick Brogan, ArtsQuest’s senior vice president of programming. ArtsQuest would still put on the Artists Among Us effort without the grant but it would include far fewer events, he said.

Read more: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2014/03/artsquest_planning_yearlong_ef.html#incart_river

Musikfest Braces For Better Year After Record Loss

Musikfest was preparing to hit a high note last year, introducing the 10-day party of music and food to south Bethlehem at its ambitious new SteelStacks campus.

But rain doused the festival for six days, flooding the Monocacy Creek and closing down nearby venues on the north side. The festival lost $750,000 — triple the amount of its worst year since it began 28 years ago.

The deficit came in the very year its nonprofit organizer, ArtsQuest, could least afford it because of the uncertainty that came with launching its performing arts center at SteelStacks. The loss from Musikfest, which provides half the nonprofit’s revenue, pushed ArtsQuest into a $1 million operating loss, more than 5 percent of its budget.

So, as Musikfest opens Friday evening, its financial performance is stealing some of the spotlight.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/news/local/musikfest/mc-bethlehem-musikfest-preview-20120802,0,7463125.story

Lehigh Valley Economy Boosted By Thriving Nonprofit Arts Sector

Lehigh Valley’s nonprofit arts community pumps $200 million annually into the region’s economy

The two tickets to a live opera rebroadcast at Allentown Symphony Hall were just the first things Jane Wells Schooley spent money on Thursday evening. Before the show, she and her granddaughter had dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant. They planned to get dessert at Rita’s Italian ice afterward.

Still, Schooley, of Lower Nazareth Township, considered the outing an excellent value.

“To be able to expose a young person to opera without spending $200!” she whispered as the curtains parted to a full-screen, high-definition view of the pit orchestra at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. “We are extremely fortunate to have the arts that we have in the Lehigh Valley.”

Fortunate indeed — and in more than one sense. The Valley’s many nonprofit arts and cultural organizations do more than provide diverse entertainment and intellectual stimulation. They also boost the local economy as patrons like Schooley, eager to take advantage of the region’s relatively inexpensive offerings, open their wallets before, during and after the main event.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-lehigh-valley-arts-impact-20120721,0,3268839.story

Alt-Rockers Young The Giant Ro Headline Musikfest In Bethlehem

Alternative rock group Young The Giant, which last year had two singles hit the Top 5 on Billboard’s rock chart, will headline Musikfest‘s main SteelStage venue Aug. 3, the festival announced Wednesday.

Tickets for the show — at $24 and $34 — will go on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday for ArtsQuest members and 10 a.m. April 13 for the general public at http://www.artsquest.com or by calling 610-332-1300.

The California-based quintet’s song “My Body” hit No. 5 on the alternative chart and “Cough Syrup” hit No. 2. Both songs are from the band’s self-titled debut album, which hit No. 42 on Billboard’s albums chart and No. 6 on Billboard’s rock albums chart. This week, it was No. 23 on the rock chart.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/music/mc-musikfest-announcement-20120404,0,235912.story

Daughtry’s Musikfest Show Is Official; ‘American Idol’ Alum To Play Aug. 11

Musikfest announced Thursday what Daughtry‘s fan club had already leaked: The chart-topping, platinum-selling “American Idol” finalist will be one of the headline performers at the festival.

Daughtry will play the main SteelStage at SteelStacks in south Bethlehem at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 11. The festival runs Aug. 3-12.

Tickets, at $34 to $49, go on sale to ArtsQuest members at 10 a.m. Tuesday and at 10 a.m. March 30 to the public at http://www.artsquest.com and 610-332-1300.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/music/mc-daughtry-musikfest-announcement-bethlehem-20120322,0,7801843.story

Singer Sheryl Crow Gets Second Chance To Headline Musikfest

Image via Wikipedia

An artist who canceled out a previous show at Musikfest is getting a second chance at the festival.

Sheryl Crow, who had the hits “Leaving Las Vegas,” “All I Want to Do,” “Strong Enough” and “If It Makes You Happy,” but canceled a sold-out Musikfest show at the last moment in 2001, will play at the festival’s main Steel Stage at 8:30 p.m. Aug. 10, it was announced Friday.

Tickets, at $30 and $40, go on sale to ArtsQuest members at 10 a.m. Feb. 28 and to the public at 10 a.m. March 2 at http://www.musikfest.org or by calling 610-332-3378.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/music/mc-sheryl-crow-musikfest-20120224,0,5033816.story