This is awesome. Press release here:
Asheville Bravo Concerts Awarded $10,000 from the N.C. Arts Council
Asheville, NC — September 29, 2009: Asheville Bravo Concerts in Buncombe County has been awarded $10,000 from the N.C. Arts Council for the presentation of two of the shows in their 2009-2010 Season, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and The Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess. These funds will be used toward the costs of presenting these two stellar performing groups.
“We are immensely pleased to receive this grant,” says Bravo’s Executive Director Tracey Johnston-Crum. “At a time when many states are cutting back on funding the arts, North Carolina has done an excellent job of helping to provide quality arts programming for students and adults, and to sustain the local economy.”
Last year, Bravo provided programming for more than 8,000 local residents, including over 1,200 students from area schools who were able to attend shows for free through the Music Education Partnership Program.
“The support of our grants program by the General Assembly during these economically challenging times demonstrates the role the arts play in our economy and our quality of life,” said Mary B. Regan, executive director of the N.C. Arts Council. “Nonprofit arts organizations employ workers, stimulate commerce, generate tax revenues and help communities retain their vibrancy.”
More than 13.6 million people participated in N.C. Arts Council-funded projects last year in schools, senior centers, museums, concert halls and community centers. Nearly 4.3 million of these were children and youth. The N.C. Arts Council awards grant money each year to provide diverse arts experiences for citizens in all 100 counties of North Carolina. In fiscal year 2009-10, the Arts Council is expected to distribute $7.4 million in state and federal grant funds to arts organizations, schools and other nonprofit organizations that sponsor arts programs.
Asheville Bravo Concerts was the first arts nonprofit in Western North Carolina, and they present an annual season at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville. This season includes the Vienna Boys Choir, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and The Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess, among others. Pick-3 Subscriptions and individual ticket sales to Bravo’s season are available now and can be purchased by calling the Bravo office at (828) 225-5887. For more information about Bravo please visit www.ashevillebravoconcerts.org.
The N.C. Arts Council is a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. www.ncculture.com.
