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 COMMUNITY COMMITMENT
Symphony needs hall, study finds
By MISTY WILLIAMS, The Bakersfield Californian staff writer
Wednesday July 17, 2002, 11:16:57 PM
The Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra has been waiting years for a home of its own.
And now it's one step closer to its goal. Arts Resources International, a division of New York-based Artec Consultants Inc, recently completed a six-month study on the need and feasibility of a new performance facility in Bakersfield.
Hired by the symphony in January, ARI consultants have conducted 32 interviews with a variety of community members and civic and arts leaders throughout Bakersfield and Kern County, including officials at the Bakersfield city manager's office, Cal State Bakersfield and the Kern County Superintendent of School's office, said Willem Brans, chief executive of ARI.
The consulting firm also reviewed the acoustics in the Bakersfield Convention Center, Harvey Memorial Auditorium, Fox Theater and Dore Theatre at CSUB, Brans said.
"All four of these facilities are fine in their own ways," Brans said. "But each of them could not do or be able to provide the right acoustical environment for strictly musical performances."
The symphony, which will begin its 71st season in October, currently plays at the Convention Center, which seats just more than 3,000 people. A new facility would be built in a traditional shoebox shape with flexible acoustics and would house a variety of performance groups, Brans said. "For the first time, the city would have a hall, which would make it possible for the audience to hear the symphony as it actually sounds," said John Farrer, music director. "It makes a huge difference in how you experience music."
Seating between 1,200 and 1,800 audience members, the building's cost would depend on factors such as the amount of rehearsal and office space, quality of the architecture, and land acquisition, Brans said.
Funding would likely come from a partnership among local organizations, such as CSUB, Bakersfield College and the county school superintendent's office, said Milt Younger, president of the symphony. But raising the money to build and operate such a facility may not be so easy. "The tricky part is raising the money to build it and the day-to-day cost of keeping it open," said Scott Fieber, director of theater operations for the Fox Theater Foundation. "Every venue in town struggles with that."
Financial help from the city any time soon is unlikely, said Donna Kunz, Bakersfield's economic development director. "The way the budget is currently, the city's primary focus is on basic service," Kunz said. "The cultural aspect is wonderful, but it's
something they're kind of hoping the private sector will take the lead on."
The facility also promises to bring more competition to the area, Fieber said. While a new performance hall may boost the symphony's attendance, there is no real need for more performing arts seats in Bakersfield, he said.
Most of the theaters in town already have open dates every month, he said.
The symphony's board of directors has already obtained funding for the next two phases of ARI's research, which would include developing an initial concept for the facility, determining the preliminary costs of operation and revenues, and investigating fund-raising possibilities, Younger said. The ARI research -- including all three study phases -- will cost more than $60,000, Younger said.
A better idea of the cost of the project is expected following phase two of the study, but could cost $20 million to $30 million, Younger said. "I've long been interested in the cultural development of Bakersfield," he said. "I do not want Bakersfield to remain as a cultural backwater to Los Angeles."
 CSUB School of Education Commencement Speech
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