THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 19, 1994 TAG: 9411190441
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARK MOBLEY, MUSIC CRITIC
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
The Virginia Symphony has rejected an offer to move its base of operations from Chrysler Hall to an arts center under construction at Norfolk State University.
In July, university trustees, led by Virginia Opera founder Edythe C. Harrison, asked the orchestra to consider making the L. Douglas Wilder Center for the Performing Arts its new home. The $8.5 million facility, scheduled to open in 1996, will include an 1,800-seat multipurpose theater.
Orchestra board members and staffers, including music director JoAnn Falletta and executive director Daniel J. Hart, were subsequently given a tour of the campus by NSU President Harrison B. Wilson.
At a board meeting Wednesday, the orchestra's trustees voted to explore possible uses for the arts center, scheduled to open in 1996. As outlined in a letter to university Vice Chairman L.D. Britt, these initiatives include performing at the arts center's grand opening, performing a concert series there and establishing an artist-in-residence program.
Orchestra officials also noted their reluctance to sever the ensemble's relationship with Chrysler Hall and the city of Norfolk. Though the orchestra performs regularly in venues from Williamsburg to Virginia Beach, its main classical series and the majority of its rehearsals are at Chrysler Hall.
``It's an impressive campus. They've got a lot of neat stuff happening and a lot of exciting plans,'' Hart said. ``The hall is going to be a nice hall, from what you can tell on paper. We took the offer seriously.
``We have a long-standing relationship with (Chrysler) Hall and we're committed to making that relationship work even better.''
Hart added that downtown Norfolk development projects, from the MacArthur Center mall to the Tidewater Community College campus, increased Chrysler Hall's attrac-tiveness.
Britt could not be reached for comment. by CNB