In choosing the Person of the Year for 2015, it was the decision of the editorial board to look past the most heated moments of the year and instead turn to that which unites the people of this community: a commitment to the arts in Johnson County that makes this region a cultural capital of the state. For that reason, we have opted to choose Andre Perry, executive director of the Englert Theatre, and Chuck Swanson, executive director of Hancher Auditorium, to celebrate their place as leaders in the arts in and around Iowa City. Their passion and dedication to bringing multivariate attractions and entertainment to the area sets them apart as the worthiest contenders for the honor this calendar year.
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Iowa City Press-Citizen - Saturday, January 9, 2016
Chuck Swanson and Andre Perry are the principal conductors of Iowa City's thriving arts scene, drawing world-class artists to local stages, forging new partnerships locally and beyond, and reaching ever-greater audiences through innovative programming. For their efforts in taking the arts to new heights over the past 12 months through events such as the Englert's inaugural Witching Hour Festival, and in anticipation of what will be a historic 2016 highlighted by the the long-awaited rebirth of Hancher Auditorium, Perry and Swanson are the Press-Citizen's Co-Person's of the Year.
Corridor Business Journal - Monday, January 4, 2016
OPN Architects plans to open an office in Iowa City later this year, which leaders with the Cedar Rapids-based firm said will reaffirm the firm’s commitment to projects in the southern Corridor and Eastern Iowa. Since 2008, OPN has overseen several projects with the University of Iowa, perhaps most notably the new Hancher Auditorium, scheduled for completion sometime later this year. That project and others have contributed to a resurgence of development in the Corridor, which OPN Principal and President Daniel Thies believes will continue to generate additional work around Iowa City.
The Gazette - Thursday, December 31, 2015
The biggest thing on the 2016 entertainment scene isn't a show. It's the show of all showstopping showplaces, when the new 1,800-seat Hancher Auditorium opens its doors in the fall, closing yet another door in Corridor flood recovery.
Closing out Hancher's final season on the road is Bobby McFerrin, the singer whose message of "Don't Worry, Be Happy," continues to inspire listeners. But the 10-time Grammy winner has such a wide range of vocal techniques and styles, that he can sound like a one-man band of lead vocals, harmonies, scat and polyphonic overtones. We can't wait to hear what he has in store for his Hancher milestone concert.
University of Iowa Libraries - Monday, December 21, 2015
Thanks to the quick thinking of Hancher Auditorium staff, many of the original posters from early performances are still intact and have now been digitally preserved as part of the Iowa Digital Library. The large size of these posters (or “show bills”) required a handful of people to feed them through our 54” Context HD scanner, with most of the preservation images created from this process averaging around 2.0 GB, before we trim them down a little.
Hancher Auditorium - Monday, December 14, 2015
On December 5, the University of Iowa’s Hancher presented performance artist Taylor Mac, who performed the 1846–1856 portion of his forthcoming epic work A 24-Hour History of Popular Music. Hancher is a co-commissioner of Mac’s piece, and this support of an artist’s work is important in and of itself. But this particular commission is especially notable because it is the 100th work Hancher has commissioned.
Des Moines Register - Monday, December 14, 2015
As Iowa City's new Hancher Auditorium gets closer to its grand reopening in 2016, the details of what its student ushers will wear need to be worked out. Because the University of Iowa does not have an apparel program, it reached out to Iowa State, where a fashion illustration class took on the challenge of designing uniforms that will fit the needs of the auditorium for the next eight to 10 years.
The Gazette - Thursday, December 10, 2015
Patriarch of a jazz dynasty and the piano teacher Harry Connick Jr. calls "tough," the legendary Ellis Marsalis Jr. pauses over what constitutes "the New Orleans sound" of his homeland. "That's kinda like pop terminology. It's good for selling stuff, like 'the Motown sound,' 'the Memphis sound,' whatever," he said by phone from his home in the Big Easy.
Daily Iowan - Thursday, December 10, 2015
One of the most famous families in jazz will be in Iowa City this weekend. The Ellis Marsalis Quartet, presented by Hancher, will play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Englert, 221 E. Washington St. Marsalis was born in New Orleans on Nov. 14, 1934. Playing since the 1940s, he has a large influence in the jazz world and his children have become known worldwide as musicians as well.
Iowa City Press-Citizen - Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Few men have had as much direct influence on the world of jazz as Ellis Marsalis Jr. As a teacher, Marsalis taught the likes of Harry Connick Jr. and Grammy-winning film score-composer Terence Blanchard. As a father, four of his six sons — Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason — are all working jazz musicians. Wynton, who has played during the Super Bowl, won a Pulitzer Prize and many Grammys, may be the most in-demand and well known working jazz artist. Without Ellis Marsalis Jr.'s penchant for teaching, who knows what jazz would be like today.