In a recent article appearing in the Jazz Times, Steven discusses adding a world-class and ethnically diverse jazz program to Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana.

Sometimes in the performing arts world you have to fill a gap in the musical spectrum from the ground up. That’s the realization I faced when I arrived in Carmel, Indiana as President/CEO of its new $175 million, three-venue Center for the Performing Arts. Two years later, my staff and I showed those gaps can be filled. In this case, we filled it with jazz.
Carmel is a fast-growing city in the heart of the Midwest with a lot going for it. Household income is high, the schools are excellent and population has grown tremendously in the last decade to about 80,000. Carmel is part of the Indianapolis-Carmel Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 1.75 million in 2010, ranked 34th in the United States. Read More

I was honored to be asked by UCSD Provost Steven Adler to participate in the Chapter on Box Office and the sub-chapter called “Redefining the Relationship between Art and Commerce” in the “Oxford Handbook of the American Musical.” At La Jolla Playhouse, we produced some of the most innovative theatre in the country and occasionally, those plays had commercial potential. Working in partnership with producers who understood great art and at the same time wanted to work with La Jolla Playhouse to create these plays, was a special opportunity for us. When successful, the Playhouse gained significant national publicity and royalties. They key for us was to maintain our focus on artistic excellence.

For more information on this handbook, visit the companion web site: www.oup.com/us/oham.

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