Programming

We are open to input from all members of the community for our future programming.

Without programming, the New Orpheum theater will just be an empty building. The Catskill Mountain Foundation has been presenting a wide range of performing arts programs for 7 years now. These include chamber music concerts, folk, pop and world music, theater performances, dance performances, and youth programs. Many of these performances have been by groups from New York City, or by groups from around the world who have been on tour. Our existing facilities have limited the size and quality of what we have been able to present. Our goal is to present even more exciting programming in a more impressive facility. Here are some of the key factors that will contribute to making our future programming the very best it can be:

• Funding - We currently receive funding from multiple sources to cover the cost of our performing arts program. Our performing arts program is supported by annual grants we receive from the New York State Council on the Arts and the Greene County Council on the Arts. The Jarvis and Constance Doctorow Family Foundation is also a very generous underwriter of our performing arts program. This recently created foundation is giving grants to New York metro area performing arts groups, and is including in their agreements with these groups that they will do at least one performance at the Catskill Mountain Foundation's facilities at no charge. New York City groups currently participating in this program include the Jean Cocteau Repertory Theater, the Boy's Choir of Harlem, the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, and the Early Music Ensemble. The Doctorow Family Foundation is providing similar funding to the Catskill Mountain Chamber Orchestra. The Rem family sponsors two concerts each year in memory of James Rem. Our hope is that other members of our community will help us make our performing arts program the very best it can be by providing funding for special programs.

  
  Jean Cocteau Rep: "Mother Courage"

• The Orchard Project - Another important development that will positively impact our future performing arts program is the Orchard Project. This is a dynamic new theater incubator to be based each summer on the Catskill Mountain Foundation's Sugar Maples campus which will work synergistically with the Foundation's Orpheum Theater. Sugar Maples will provide rehearsal space, room and board to world class theater companies from New York City and elsewhere. The Orchard Project will use the resources of Sugar Maples to provide entire theater companies and ensembles precious and flexible time and space to focus on developing new works. The companies that participate in the Orchard Project will also perform at the Orpheum theater during their residencies on the Mountain Top. Ari Edelson and Lucy and Piers Playfair will head the Orchard Project. Edelson is a NY based director who has worked in theater and opera in the US, UK and Japan, and who currently serves as Artistic Director for London's Old Vic Theatre Old Vic/New Voices US/UK program. The Artistic Advisory board for the Orchard Project includes many leaders of the American theater, from industry ambassadors (Virginia Louloudes, Alliance of Resident Theaters), to producers (Vallejo Gantner, Artistic Director of PS 122 in New York) to leading artists (Ted Sperling, conductor and director). We expect that our relationship with the Orchard project will bring exciting, leading edge work to the Orpheum Theater.
• Dance - We very much want dance to be an important component of our future performing arts program at the New Orpheum. Dance has been the hardest for us to present in our current facilities. Over the past five years we have presented Ailey II Dance Theater, the ABT Studio Company, Pilobolus Too, Batoto Yetu, New York Baroque Dance Co. and others. Our audiences love these dance performances, and we generally get a larger turn out for our dance programs than for anything else we present. With the dance floor we will be installing on the Orpheum stage, with the 40 foot wide and 33 foot deep stage, with the wing space, and dressing rooms, we are looking forward to expanding our dance programs. Between now and the opening of the New Orpheum we will be exploring ways to develop strategic relationships that will enable us to expand our future dance programming.

• Catskill Mountain Chamber Orchestra - Recently we have presented a series of concerts featuring the newly formed Catskill Mountain Chamber Orchestra. This Chamber Orchestra performs only at our facilities and has been created by conductor Bob Manno, who was formerly with the Metropolitan Opera and is now a full time resident of the Mountain Top. Bob is also the co-founder of the Windham Chamber Music Festival. The Chamber Orchestra formed by Mr. Manno includes musicians who currently perform with, or have recently retired from, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, the Connecticut Chamber Orchestra, Solisti New York, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and other well known groups. The Catskill Mountain Chamber Orchestra performances are stunning, and we expect that we will be able to expand its performance schedule once the Orpheum Theater is open.

  
  Catskill Mountain Chamber Orchestra

• Amati Music Festival Guest Artists - The Amati Music Festival is in residence with the Catskill Mountain Foundation every summer. Each summer the festival includes a visit and performance by internationally known guest artists. These artists have included the world-renowned Korean pianist Hai-Kyung Suh, hailed as a "musical genius" and one of the most important artists of her country, Arnold Steinhardt, founder and first violinist of the acclaimed Guarneri String Quartet, and violinist Aaron Rosand, who has performed in most of the music capitals of the world. We expect our relationship with the Amati Music Festival to continue long into the future, and look forward to presenting the Festival's guest artists at the Orpheum Theater.
• Folk, Pop, R&B and World Music - In the years since the Foundation was formed it has presented many concerts featuring folk, pop, R&B and world music. Most often these concerts were underwritten by a corporate sponsor. Our past lead corporate sponsor for these programs is no longer able to fund our programs, and we look forward to finding new sponsors for these concerts.
• Other Theater Companies in our Community - In addition to the programming described above, we also plan to work closely with other theater companies in our community. The Greene Room Players, Schoharie Creek Players, and Horton by the Stream have all expressed an interest in performing at the New Orpheum and we look forward to making the facility available to them.
• Youth Programs - We want to offer Mountain Top schools special programming opportunities at the New Orpheum. This will create valuable learning experiences for our Mountain Top youth.
• Film - The New Orpheum will be equipped with film projection equipment. When we are not presenting live performances at the New Orpheum, we do plan to use it for film programming.