Culture Flash!
New gifts to the Long Center, a new Little Elf for 'Santaland,' a new name for the AMOA Guild, a retirement at the symphony, and a return to Venice for Allison Orr
By Robert Faires, Fri., Sept. 24, 2004
The Long Center for the Performing Arts is getting a financial boost from two Austin couples. The ever-generous Sarah and Ernest Butler are doubling a previous pledge and giving the center $1 million, while retired Adm. Bob R. and Nancy Inman are increasing a prior pledge by 10 times, from $25,000 to $250,000. In addition, a recent gift of $100,000 was made by Dr. Nona Niland through her Niland Foundation. New gifts from Aug. 1 through mid-September totaled nearly $1 million.
The annual B. Iden Payne Awards celebrating outstanding achievements in local theatre are set for Monday, Sept. 27, 7:30pm, at Esther's Pool, 525 E. Sixth. This year includes nominees from 64 productions, mounted by 35 different companies and organizations. As it's the 30th anniversary of ACoT's founding, attendees are encouraged to show up with "that Seventies look." For information, call 454-TIXS.
Vincent Frittelli has retired as concertmaster of the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Frittelli, an associate professor of violin in the UT School of Music, joined the ASO way back in September of 1982 and spent 19 of the last 22 years as first chair in the violin section. Associate concertmaster Eugene Gratovich is serving as concertmaster until the orchestra can arrange to audition a permanent replacement for Frittelli.
Come December, there's gonna be a new Little Elf in town. After six seasons of starring in the Zachary Scott Theatre Center's holiday hit The Santaland Diaries, actor Martin Burke has decided to take a break from the role. Stepping into his elf shoes will be former Flaming Idiot Rob Williams, who coincidentally filled in for Burke during one weekend of the run of House Arrest at Zach. For more information, call 476-0541 or visit www.zachscott.com.
Choreographer Allison Orr is headed back to Venice, Italy, for another run – make that swim (?) – of The Gondola Project, the dance she created last summer with eight Venetian gondoliers. More than 500 people saw the original performance, and the response was so strong that Orr has organized an encore for Saturday, Oct. 9, 9pm, at the Canale Della Misericordia. See you there! For more information, visit www.forkliftdanceworks.org.
What's in a name? The Austin Museum of Art Guild, the volunteer organization that for years has welcomed spring and aided the museum by producing the Austin Fine Arts Festival, is changing its name to the Austin Fine Arts Alliance. The idea is to heighten the name identification between the festival and the organization.
