 |
Phyllis Cortese
Executive Director
Charles Ives Center for the Arts |
| Address: |
University Boulevard
Danbury, CT |
| Phone: |
(203) 837-9226 |
| Website: |
Ives Concert Park |
Agendas & Minutes:
Listing files in 'Charles Ives Center for the Arts'
About us:
The Ives Concert Park honors the rich history and memory of Pulitzer Prize winning Danbury native, Charles Edward Ives, one of America’s greatest music composers. The Park provides a nationally recognized forum for the performing and creative arts in a lush oasis of natural beauty on Danbury’s west side.
Ives Concert Park hosts world-renowned artists in a wide variety of music and theater genres. The venue pays tribute to its storied roots with classical music while acknowledging the ongoing evolution of the art of live performance through the Summer Concert Series. With entertainment that ranges from enlightening to awe-inspiring, the Ives reflects the diverse multicultural community in which it resides; embracing the unique attributes that our performers and patrons bring to our site. A common love of the arts and the beauty of nature bring fans to our grounds; their shared experiences make them our friends.
The organization was originally founded in 1974. In 2007, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton created a city authority to maintain the Ives’ founding fathers’ vision and The Charles Ives Authority for the Performing Arts was born.
The park has become a tremendous resource for our community, initiating economic development for local businesses, as well as establishing corporate stakeholder partnerships that assist in underwriting the costs of performances, thus allowing affordable access to celebrated artistic experiences.
The outdoor amphitheater with a seating capacity of 5,500, is situated on 40 wooded acres with a pond, breath-taking gardens, and public hiking trails. The park is located on the Westside campus of Western Connecticut State University. Ives hosts a variety of international, national, regional and local artists. With over 60,000 patrons attending events each year, Ives Concert Park boosts tourism and is an asset in attracting consumers, new residents and businesses to the greater Danbury region.
For more than 35 years this extraordinary entertainment destination has featured events such as the Celebrity Series, the Fine Arts & Family Series, Shakespeare, the Ives Festival Orchestra, Chamber Music, Jazz, Visual Arts, Arts Education, Children’s Events, and Cultural Festivals such as the Irish Festival, the Ecuadorian Festival and The CT Latin Music Festival.
Our accomplishments:
Ives Concert Park values its partnership with the City of Danbury and Western Connecticut State University who both recognize the value of this exceptional facility and the many benefits it provides. The Ives is proud of its contributions to enhancing the quality of life for our citizens as well as students who participate in world class productions right in our own backyard. In addition, expanded and targeted marketing campaigns are currently promoting Ives as an ideal event destination for weddings, corporate events, company picnics, private parties and receptions.
In 2011, the Friends of the Ives, Inc. , a 501 C3, was established and is dedicated to securing funding for programming and operations at Ives Concert Park. Ives Concert Park is extremely fortunate to receive generous contributions throughout the year from many sponsors and donors as well as in-kind contributions of goods and services. A special thank you to Union Savings Bank, the park’s major corporate stakeholder, for their Title Sponsorship commitment for five years. We also thank our major sponsors, Premier Concerts, Kirshner Concerts, Wells Fargo Advisors, Charter Communications, Newtown Savings Bank, Constellation Wines, The News Times Hearst Media Services, Nanavaty, Nanavaty & Davenport, Iovino Brothers, Cumulus Media, Leverage Marketing Group, Berkshire Broadcasting, Comcast – Xfinity, Morris Media Group, RKE Productions and Crystal Rock.
The Ives Board of Directors is a motivated, energized team of fiscally responsible community leaders. They are unified in building on a strong foundation to increase visibility, expand audience capacity, innovative programs and outreach initiatives, and enhance the artistic, cultural, educational and economic vitality of the greater Danbury area. The Ives Authority is committed to our community while sharing in the responsibility of awakening, nurturing, and sustaining our collective cultural capital and building the creative ecology of our future.
The Ives Authority also supports local social service agencies through Project Outreach, distributing tickets to disabled and multicultural inner-city residents, bringing exposure of the arts to underserved populations while building a strong following for the Park’s future.
The Ives Authority and Henry Abbott Technical High School developed a collaborative community program called “Illuminating Education Through the Arts”. The Ives world class stage serves as the setting for the Abbott Tech Electrical Department students to apply the trade skill and knowledge they have acquired in the classroom to a unique real world setting providing invaluable hands-on experience. Under the direction of their instructors, students maintain and upgrade electrical systems at Ives. The program activity provides effective skill training for the student and promotes work readiness including problem solving, teamwork, and self-management. The luminous results are appreciated by the thousands of patrons that come to enjoy performances at Ives Concert Park. In recognition of their special dedication and achievement, the Authority’s Board of Directors presented the 2011 “Ives Distinguished Graduate Scholarship Award”, of $500 each, to two recipients who exemplified the pursuit of excellence in this program.
The “Ambassadors for the Arts” is a volunteer share program. Corporate community stakeholder volunteers are invited to engage, energize and establish a highly charged, enthusiastic team of advocates who are a valuable resource of information while providing exemplary customer service to patrons who visit the park for our events. Ives Ambassadors may also offer a reciprocal volunteer share at partner community stakeholder businesses as well.
Thanks to the generous support of grants from Savings Bank of Danbury and The Meserve Memorial Fund, and with the assistance of Technology Solutions for Non Profits, the Ives Authority will create a more efficient back office operation based on a standard suite of applications delivered through a private, secure cloud service. Newly integrated and updated systems will provide Ives with a secure information platform while maximizing fundraising capability, improved financial management, and greater productivity.
Among many other exciting programs, Ives recently launched “Adopt A Garden” which offers opportunities to garden enthusiasts and landscape designers to sponsor and create a gardenscape. Participants will integrate naturalized plantings that echo the existing woodlands in harmony and balance with the surrounding setting and spirit of Ives Concert Park. Sponsors receive exciting and valuable benefits including advertising, corporate recognition, a link to the sponsor business on the Ives website, and complimentary season concert tickets.
The 2011 season finale will be on September 11th; Ives Celebrates America, a free concert tribute commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11 will include the city’s official remembrance ceremony.