The Sacred Heart University (SHU) Community Theatre has gained an exciting new partnership with a big-name sponsor for its upcoming jazz series. Bank of America is in collaboration with the 500-seat venue for SHU’s set of jazz performances in 2024.
SHU Community Theatre was originally opened in 1920 as a vaudeville house, a theatre which produces a variety of performances such as musicals, burlesque, comedies and other trivial entertainment pieces common during The Roaring Twenties, according to the venue’s website.
Photo by Tracy Deer-Mirek, Sacred Heart University
According to the theatre’s website, “In May 2019, Sacred Heart University and Kleban Properties partnered to renovate and reopen the long-shuttered theatre as a contemporary arts and education venue and nonprofit.”
“We are so happy to welcome Bank of America as our marquee sponsor of the jazz series,” said SHU Community Theatre Executive Director Matt Oestreicher. “Bank of America’s commitment to this series helps to bolster an under-supported American art form, ensuring its vitality and resonance in our community.”
Bill Tommins, the president of Bank of America Southern Connecticut, discussed the news in a press release from the university on March 19.
“Engaging Southern Connecticut communities through music and performance is critical for expanding our horizons and ensuring that the arts continue to flourish,” said Tommins. “The Sacred Heart University Community Theatre is a valued partner and we look forward to
witnessing the community’s response to this all-star lineup of jazz artists and performances.”
The press release also announced some of the 2024 jazz series performances, including some well-known artists in the contemporary jazz industry. “Upcoming performances include a performance from Grammy Award winner Christian McBride that happened on April 4, Al Di Meola on April 13, Rickie Lee Jones on May 4, Jazz is Dead on June 7 and Spyro Gyra on June 9,” according to the press release.
“This will allow the theater to engage Jazz artists on a whole new level,” said Prof. Joseph Carter, the Director of Academic Music Programs at SHU. “This new sponsorship will allow the theater to set up concerts with artists that might have been outside of their budget before.”
“Live music, and jazz in particular, is something that gives the person attending a different experience and perspective on things, different from listening to a YouTube or an MP3 or any other one-dimensional experience. Music is three dimensional,” said Carter. “At a live jazz event, the audience sees the performers performing, they see their fingers on an instrument, they see the passion of the performer, they see how the performers communicate in a non-verbal manner, they see how the performer interprets and put themselves into the performance, and so much more.”
Freshman Allison Benowitz, who is also a member of the Orchestra Program, believes this is a smart move for the university. “I think that the partnership will be good at bringing more attention to not only the theatre but Sacred Heart as a whole,” said Benowitz.
“Any music series, jazz or any other genre, is not about being just for an audience who knows all about the genre already. It’s just as important for the uninitiated,” said Carter. “Everyone can come away with a better understanding and perhaps even a new level of enjoyment but, either way, because of the experience, they will become that more well-rounded individual.”
Tickets can be purchased on the SHU Community Theatre’s website as more performances for the jazz series will be announced in the coming months.
