Setting the Stage for 2022
Side Street Sounds
- STEVE WEST –
Fort Hill Performing Arts Center Program Director Jerry Falzone is Jetting Into the New Year with Tribute Bands, Comedy, Cooking, and Community Collaborations
After a nearly five million dollar, five year renovation project, the Fort Hill Performing Arts Center in Canandaigua was ready to go. New state of the art sound and lighting systems were installed. The stage was refurbished with a new lift. The seats are brand new. The entire interior had been given a facelift. They held a successful grand opening gala featuring performances by the Rochester City Ballet, the Finger Lakes Opera, The Rochester Oratorio Society, and Broadway performers Michael Park and Nicolette Hart, among others. FHPAC was ready to start its regular season of shows and performances. The date for their first sold out show was set: March 11, 2020. Cue the sad trombone music. After that first show, Covid-19 caused them to cancel or postpone most of their remaining scheduled shows for 2020.
A few programs were held in the Summer of 2021 with modifications to ensure covid safety. By Autumn, the schedule was finally in full swing. The George M Ewing Canandaigua Forum lecture series covered politics, science, and local history; soprano Rose Kearin of the Finger Lakes Opera performed assorted selections, and the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young tribute show, Deja Vu All Over Again, sold out the 427 auditorium in November.
Jerry Falzone produced the Deja Vu All Over Again show. It was originally scheduled for November 2020. It was postponed until May of 2021, and then postponed again until November. In that time, Jerry kept steady contact with the staff at FHPAC. He found himself drawn to the opportunities that a venue of this size and quality presented, and in October he was named program director.
I recently had a chance to sit down with Jerry and discuss the future of the FHPAC. He was strongly encouraged by the sellout of the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young show. “I’d like to produce similar tribute shows like this for the next year or two while we build a relationship with the community,” he said. “Eventually, I look forward to being able to bring in some national touring acts that are at the stage in their careers where they are playing theaters of this size.”
Shows for 2022 include: Bennie and the Rest: a Tribute to Sir Elton John (January 12); Cool Club & The Lipker Sisters (January 22); Junkyardfieldtrip (February 9); and the Diana Jacobs Band (April 2)—interspersed with with cooking, comedy, and a circus.
In addition to pop music shows, the theater is also a second home to the Rochester City Ballet (presenting Carmen and Firebird) and the Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra. Community groups can also rent the theater for theatrical productions, demonstrations, and comedy shows.
A schedule of events can be found on the Fort Hill Performing Arts Center website at www.fhpac.org.
Images courtesy of FHPAC.
