Winter 2004, Vol. 57, No. 1

Since the Brooks Center’s dedication in April 1994, countless students have studied, prac- ticed, performed and most recently majored in the performing arts. Thousands of schoolchildren have participated in the center’s educational outreach program. And patrons of music, theater and dance have enjoyed world-class performances by leading actors, musicians and dancers.

“In the decade of the 1990s, the Brooks Center forever changed Clemson’s self-concept. We no longer see ourselves in the same way,” says Clemson President James Barker. “Before the Brooks Center, we regularly brought to campus the nation’s finest performing artists. We attracted a wide audience for these performances, including many off-campus patrons. However, the Brooks Center fundamentally raised Clemson’s definition of quality, sophistication, artistic excellence and outreach.”

That “raised definition” can be seen almost every day, says Lillian Harder, director of the center since 1996. “For the past decade, the Brooks Center has presented outstanding artists and attractions. The artists who perform here also perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Royal Albert Hall in London and the other great concert halls of the world. It’s been our goal to bring the best to Clemson.”

The list of notable artists who have performed in Clemson is a Who’s Who of great performers. Grammy Award-winning jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, piano superstar Lang Lang, the innovative dance ensemble Momix and the all-male chorus Chanticleer are just a few that patrons list as their favorites.

Other memorable performances include the Shanghai Acrobats, the musical Phantom, Scottish fiddler Bonnie Rideout, the Ten Tenors from Australia and the a cappella sensation Rockapella.

Community outreach is also a hallmark of the Brooks Center. Through its Tri-ART educational program, nearly 13,000 schoolchildren from the Upstate and other areas enjoy morning performances, workshops and other activities tailored especially for them.

“The wonderful thing about Tri-ART,” says Harder, “is that we offer these arts experiences for $2 per student, while others are free. The program has become an important part of arts education in the Upstate for public, private and home-schooled students.”

The Utsey Chamber Music Series is the Brooks Center’s other widely acclaimed community service activity. For nearly 20 years, the chamber series has offered free performances by leading musicians in the genre. Since its inception in 1986, the series has presented nearly 100 different performances to tens of thousands of classical music patrons in Clemson and beyond.

“We’ve had audience members drive from as far away as Charleston, Atlanta, Ga., and Tryon, N.C., to hear our chamber music,” says box office manager Tonya Henson.

Recordings made of many Utsey Series performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today” and heard throughout the country. The series has also been recognized for its community service in Chamber Music America, a leading music publication.

“Certainly, the quality of life for the entire Clemson community has improved since the center opened,” says Rick Goodstein, chair of the performing arts department, “but Clemson students — who are in the building every day — benefit the most.”
Prior to the Brooks Center, student musicians and actors practiced and performed all over campus in places designed for other purposes. For instance, the University bands rehearsed in the basement of Holtzendorff Hall. “Holtzendorff was an old gym, and it sounded like it,” says Goodstein. “The acoustics were so bad, the musicians couldn’t hear each other.”
But the state-of-the-art Brooks Center contains many of the best acoustical features in the region.

Clemson Players, the student drama troupe, performed in the Daniel Hall auditorium, not the ideal stage. Today, the Brooks Center’s Bellamy Theatre (a black box configuration) offers a platform for award-winning scene, sound and lighting designs. In fact, the Clemson Players has since garnered several regional and national awards for theatrical designs, among them a second place in scene design from the 2002 Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival.

Currently, more than 3,000 Clemson students take classes as diverse as the History of Country Music to Costume Design and Make Up in the Brooks Center. More than 700 students participate in the department’s instrumental music, choral and dramatic ensembles.
And recently, Clemson undergraduates started majoring in Production Studies in the Performing Arts. This unique degree combines performance opportunities with classes in sound engineering, arts management and many others.

For a decade, the spotlight has been on the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts. As the curtain rises on the next 10 years, the Clemson community is sure to experience many more shining performances.

A Little Help From Our Friends
It takes more than talent to mount a great theatrical production or instrumental concert at the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts. It takes lighting and sound equipment, instruments and sheet music, costumes and lumber, as well as state-of-the-art technology and staffing.

It also takes money -- lots of it. Fortunately, the Brooks Center has some generous friends. The Friends of the Brooks Center is a group of nearly 700 loyal patrons who donate money, time and energy to the performing arts at Clemson.

"Without the Friends' generosity, the performing arts at Clemson wouldn't be the same," says Lillian Harder, the center's director. "It's like the Beatles tune that says, 'I get by with a little help from my friends,' except we get by with lots of help from our friends."

In fact, without the Friends, the performing arts wouldn't have a home. An initial gift by Robert Howell Brooks '60 provided the funds for the construction of the performing arts center. In addition to annual contributions over the years, Brooks and his wife, Tami, recently endowed a new performance series at Clemson. The Boni Belle Brooks Series, named for their daughter, features many of the center's largest productions.

What's more, the Friends of the Brooks Center provides more than $200,000 in unrestricted funds annually to the performing arts. That money supports a variety of activities and programs such as Tri-ART, student grants-in-aid, one-on-one music instruction and drama scholarships. The funds also purchase music and the latest equipment, pay artist fees and cover backstage production costs.

Recently, the group has earned a reputation for throwing great parties. "Over the years, we've hosted numerous fund-raising events, including golf tournaments and a Christmas tree auction," says Carol Piacenti, Friends president. "But the annual spring party has become the best party of the season and a financial success."

With themes such as a New Orleans Mardi Gras, Renoir Boating Party and the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, it's no wonder people scramble for tickets. This spring, April 17, the group is planning a big birthday bash in celebration of the Brooks center's 10th anniversary. "Party-goers will don birthday hats, dance to lively music, eat delicious food and enjoy the company of close friends while supporting the performing arts at the University," says Piacenti.

If you're interested in becoming a member of the Friends of the Brooks Center or want more information about the upcoming Brooks Center Birthday Bash, contact Lillian Harder at (864) 656-3043 or harderl@clemson.edu.

Click here to make a secure gift online.