Saratoga Performing Arts Center facts for kids
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SPAC
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| Address | 108 Avenue of Pines, Saratoga Springs, New York, U.S. Saratoga Springs United States |
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| Location | Saratoga Springs, New York, U.S. |
| Owner | State of New York |
| Operator | Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Inc. (popular music concerts booked by Live Nation) |
| Type | Outdoor amphitheatre |
| Seating type | reserved, lawn |
| Capacity | 5,103 seats, 20,000 on lawn |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1964-1965 |
| Opened | July 9, 1966 |
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) is a big outdoor concert hall. It is located in Saratoga Springs, New York. You can find it inside the beautiful Saratoga Spa State Park. SPAC is a popular place for summer shows. It hosts classical music, jazz, pop, rock, country, comedy, and dance performances.
SPAC first opened its doors on July 9, 1966. The very first show was a ballet called A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was performed by the famous New York City Ballet.
This center is the summer home for two major groups. The New York City Ballet performs there for one week in July. The Philadelphia Orchestra stays for three weeks in August. SPAC is also a common place for high school graduations. Many local schools, like Saratoga Springs and Shenendehowa, hold their ceremonies there. Even Skidmore College has its graduation at SPAC.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Inc. is a non-profit group. This means they are a charity that runs the arts center. The State of New York owns the land and buildings. SPAC has a long-term agreement to use them. A company called Live Nation helps SPAC. They organize and present the popular music and rock concerts. The money from these concerts helps support the classical music and dance shows.
Contents
The Story of SPAC
How SPAC Began
In 1961, a newspaper writer named Duane La Fleche had an idea. He heard that a group wanted the New York Philharmonic orchestra to spend its summers in Vermont. La Fleche suggested they stay in New York instead. He thought Saratoga Springs would be a great place for them to perform.
Local leaders who liked the idea of an arts center got together. They started planning the facility. Within a week, they had their first meeting. Soon, they decided on Saratoga Spa State Park as the perfect spot. They also got support from state officials. Discussions began with both the New York Philharmonic and New York City Ballet.
Building the Center
By 1963, people and groups like the Rockefeller Brothers Fund helped raise money. The State of New York also added funds. In June 1964, Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller helped start the building work. He even got on a bulldozer to break the first ground!
More than 410 workdays followed. About 300 workers spent 136,000 hours building SPAC. They created the large, 10-story amphitheater. It has 5,103 seats inside. At first, there was no big lawn area. The lawn, which can hold 20,000 people, was added later.
Famous Performers at SPAC
Harry Belafonte was the first non-classical artist to perform at SPAC in 1967. On September 1, 1968, the Doors played there. This started a tradition of bringing top pop and rock acts to SPAC. Many famous artists have performed on its stage.
Some of these include Whitney Houston, Chicago, The Who, and Bon Jovi. Other big names are Phish, Santana, Tina Turner, and Guns N' Roses. Even Coldplay, Aretha Franklin, Rush, and Demi Lovato have played at SPAC.
Many other popular bands and singers have performed there. These include Dave Matthews Band, blink-182, Aerosmith, Britney Spears, Prince, Pearl Jam, Jay-Z, and Bruce Springsteen. Pink Floyd, Avril Lavigne, John Mayer, Nicki Minaj, and Selena Gomez have also graced the stage.
More recent acts like Imagine Dragons, Ozzy Osbourne, Slipknot, Journey, Justin Bieber, and Janet Jackson have performed. Even legendary artists like Elton John, Eric Clapton, and Phil Collins have played at SPAC. The Grateful Dead also played a famous show there in 1985.
Farm Aid, a concert to help farmers, was held at SPAC in 2013 and 2024. Famous musicians like Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, and Willie Nelson were the main performers.
Performances Today
SPAC continues to be the summer home for the New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra. Many well-known classical music soloists perform there every year. These include artists like Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham, and Yuja Wang.
The Philadelphia Orchestra's most popular show is its yearly Festive Fireworks performance. This concert often includes the "1812 Overture" and other famous pieces.
Every summer, SPAC also hosts a Jazz Festival. This event features both famous and new jazz artists on two different stages. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center also presents shows in the smaller Spa Little Theatre.
SPAC is also a major spot for non-classical concerts. These shows are organized by Live Nation.
Popular Bands at SPAC
The rock band Phish has played at SPAC many times, starting in 1992. They have performed there 24 times in total. They even had three-night concert runs in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016.
Sting performed at SPAC on July 31, 2010. He was on his Symphonicities Tour with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Dave Matthews Band has played at SPAC 48 times. They have sold out more concerts than any other artist at the venue, with eleven sold-out shows. They even recorded two live albums, Live Trax 11 and Live Trax 38, at SPAC.
For many years, SPAC has hosted the School of Orchestral Studies (SOS). This is part of the New York State Summer School of the Arts (NYSSSA) program. About 115 high school students attend this program. They study music, learn from members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and perform in the amphitheater.
Elizabeth Sobol leads SPAC. Over 200 seasonal employees work hard to keep the venue running smoothly during the summer.
The largest crowd ever at SPAC was for a Grateful Dead concert in 1985. A total of 40,231 fans came to see the band. Since that show, SPAC now limits its capacity to 25,103 people.
See also
- List of modern outdoor theaters
- Live Nation
