I am writing a letter in full support of saving and restoring two historic buildings as modern-day Performing Arts Centers. These types of venues are not easily to find in today’s world, and with Covid-19 on the wane, each community could benefit greatly from the cultural and historic opportunities afforded by such institutions. I have been a professional performing concert pianist for nearly eighteen years, and the type of historic theatres that I am discussing are the ideal venues in which I prefer to play.
Specifically, I recommend preserving and restoring the Roxy Theatre and Metro Minerva Theatre. John S. Clark and the two committees of which he is a member are to be highly lauded for their preservation efforts. I played a successful concert tour of Australia in late 2018 and these would be perfect locations for me to perform in the future.
My specialty is in American ragtime, early jazz, and vintage pre-war popular music, which is rarely heard throughout Australia, with few exceptions. The experiences I’ve had as a performing artist have taken me all around the United States, such as concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, as well as four tours of Europe and the aforementioned tour of Australia. In Australia, I played at the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, Bathhurst Memorial Entertainment Centre, and other similar places. These organizations are invaluable to their communities, and I would not have been able to travel to Australia at all without their assistance.
The very best venues are those early 1900s and Art Deco era theatres and movies palaces that have been converted to performing arts institutions that can support many different kinds of productions, and they often have concert grand pianos, which is incredibly beneficial for me. Most venues like this in the U.S. have sadly been torn town, although I have been privileged to play in a few, such as the Old Town Music Hall in Los Angeles, the Historic Missouri Theatre in Columbia, MO, the Shuler Theatre in Raton, NM, and Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. I am particularly fond of an Australian composer named Sefton Daly, who premiered many of his works at the Minerva Theatre in the 1940s. He was a personal friend of such international artists as Cole Porter and Noel Coward. Sefton Daly is unique in Australian history and should be honored.
Do not let these historic theatres be torn down, as so many have been in the United States. It would be a huge loss for future generations and Australian history. I can only hope to return to your country and perform in these great palaces in the future!
With very best wishes,
Adam Swanson
Specifically, I recommend preserving and restoring the Roxy Theatre and Metro Minerva Theatre. John S. Clark and the two committees of which he is a member are to be highly lauded for their preservation efforts. I played a successful concert tour of Australia in late 2018 and these would be perfect locations for me to perform in the future.
My specialty is in American ragtime, early jazz, and vintage pre-war popular music, which is rarely heard throughout Australia, with few exceptions. The experiences I’ve had as a performing artist have taken me all around the United States, such as concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, as well as four tours of Europe and the aforementioned tour of Australia. In Australia, I played at the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, Bathhurst Memorial Entertainment Centre, and other similar places. These organizations are invaluable to their communities, and I would not have been able to travel to Australia at all without their assistance.
The very best venues are those early 1900s and Art Deco era theatres and movies palaces that have been converted to performing arts institutions that can support many different kinds of productions, and they often have concert grand pianos, which is incredibly beneficial for me. Most venues like this in the U.S. have sadly been torn town, although I have been privileged to play in a few, such as the Old Town Music Hall in Los Angeles, the Historic Missouri Theatre in Columbia, MO, the Shuler Theatre in Raton, NM, and Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. I am particularly fond of an Australian composer named Sefton Daly, who premiered many of his works at the Minerva Theatre in the 1940s. He was a personal friend of such international artists as Cole Porter and Noel Coward. Sefton Daly is unique in Australian history and should be honored.
Do not let these historic theatres be torn down, as so many have been in the United States. It would be a huge loss for future generations and Australian history. I can only hope to return to your country and perform in these great palaces in the future!
With very best wishes,
Adam Swanson