This is one of the most common questions patrons ask me. It would be easier to answer if I had a well-defined method I could explain—some kind of artist pipeline leading to my office, or a catalog of talent to choose from. But the process is really more agonizing—and fun—than that!

I’ve heard that some of the more commercial arts presenters are primarily concerned with “what will sell.” On the one hand, this is a somewhat “democratic” approach in that the will of “the public” is the primary determiner; on the other hand, at its most extreme, this represents a crass devotion to the bottom line that opens little room for programming that surprises, delights, and enriches.

I’ve also heard of presenters whose priority is to educate; to expand people’s artistic boundaries with new, cutting-edge, challenging works of performing art. I can see how this curatorial approach would offer lots of world-expanding arts opportunities—but, again, at its extreme, I think it’s rather patronizing and may often fail to connect with people’s tastes, backgrounds, and experiences, or to bring joy, which, for me, is as important as—and maybe an integral component of—artistic integrity.

I’m still new at this, so maybe I’m being overly simplistic (or complicated?), but my general approach is to present performers who are wonderful. When that’s done, it seems to me, a) patrons do in fact purchase tickets, and b) patrons become willing participants in the process of artistic discovery—they’ll take advantage of opportunities to discover new artists and new genres.

I’m so pleased to hear patrons report that they’ve come to expect consistent quality from Cultural Center programming—that they feel free to take risks and catch shows that are new to them, because “if someone’s playing at the Cultural Center, they must be good.” I take that trust very seriously—which makes my search process all the more painstaking.

I suppose I start with a set of qualities I’m looking for. These qualities form a kind of filter in my mind’s eye and ear, so that I can disregard the vast majority of what I see and hear, and, when I encounter a potential match, quickly lock onto it.

I’m looking first, of course, for excellence in an artists’ respective genre. First impressions are really important here: I need to be knocked over and stunned by beauty, virtuosity, creativity.

I’m also looking to be refreshed by new work, new sounds—a sense of vibrancy. This helps me narrow down my genre choices a little bit: tribute acts, for example, are off my radar, though there are many fun and entertaining ones out there. Similarly, I have to skip the many wonderful once-groundbreaking musicians who now make a career playing the songs that originally made them popular, as much as I might enjoy their music. I’d rather present the folks making ground-breaking contributions now.

So am I looking only for younger, early-career musicians? I’m definitely open to them, but not exclusively. If you saw Tom Rush here in our first season, you know what a dynamic show the old man played—for nearly three hours! (He and I bantered a bit onstage about the fact that his career was well on its way before I was born!) Tom’s early records were big folk hits in the sixties, and I’m sure he could continue to surf along on that repertoire. But, instead, he played new material from an album he was about to release (even politely declining a few shouted requests by audience members for some of those earlier popular tunes). At a very mature stage in his career, he’s playing concerts that sparkle with life and vibrancy—and, in my mind, he’s a great example to all of us (especially the students in the audience) of what it means to be vibrantly creative for one’s entire lifespan. I lock onto that.

I’m also looking for artists who can connect warmly with our student/volunteer staff, and with our patrons. This criterion is a little harder to assess ahead of time, and requires some “advance work”: seeing live shows, making some calls, asking around. My track record of selection here is very good, though not quite perfect. The vast majority of our artists have been warm, personable, interesting people offstage—and that comes through in their performances. (Livingston Taylor was one great example.)

And, of course, on a more pragmatic level, I need to be able to present the artist affordably to our patrons….without losing too much money in the process! (You may be interested to know that ticket revenue typically just barely covers the cost of our public programming—some shows come out a little in the black, some a little in the red, and overall it’s about a wash. Rental revenue from private and corporate events helps cover shortfalls and pay the light bill.) I insist upon presenting the best performing arts opportunities at ticket prices that allow regular folks to attend frequently. Given the relatively small size of our venue, this presents some challenges that can be overcome with a wide search and a bit of creative negotiating. Phenomenal emerging groups (like Grace Kelly last year and Eilen Jewell this year), as well as solidly established nationally touring groups (like Brooks Williams last year and Clifton Anderson this year) are within our reach. And, with scheduling flexibility and a bit of sweet talk on our end, we can occasionally attract stand-out, well-known artists (like Livingston Taylor last year and Lúnasa this year).

As the pieces of the programming puzzle start to come together, I become attentive to the overall picture they create: does it represent a variety of genres that touches deeply upon known interests in our community, while also presenting opportunities to discover wonderful new realms? Does it represent a balance of adult vs. family-oriented opportunities? Does it cut across age-groups and invite people of various generations to meet up and enjoy common experiences? Do the performers represent folks from various backgrounds? If so, I’m nearly done—whew! That feels good. If not, I need to keep tweaking until I can answer “yes” to those questions.

So how do I actually find those wonderful artists? Well, this blog is getting a little long as usual, so let’s make that the subject of my next installment.

See you soon!

-Sean