The Shedd Institute facts for kids
The Shedd Institute
|
|
| Former names | First Baptist Church |
|---|---|
| Address | 625 High St |
| Location | Eugene, Oregon |
| Owner | The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts |
| Type | Performing arts center |
| Capacity | Jaqua Concert Hall: 780 Sheffer Recital Hall: 175 Warren Court: 250 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1915 |
| Renovated | 2016 |
The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, often called "The Shedd Institute," is a cool place in Eugene, Oregon, where people enjoy music and art. It's like a big community center with stages for shows, rooms for meetings, and lots of space for learning music. Every year, The Shedd puts on many different festivals, concerts, and educational programs, especially focusing on American music.
Contents
History of The Shedd
The Shedd Institute started in 1991. Back then, it was known as the Oregon Festival of American Music. Its main goal was to put on a summer festival with orchestral "pops" music. This is a fun, lighter style of classical music, often featuring popular tunes. A famous American conductor named Marin Alsop helped lead these early shows.
In 1993, The Shedd became a "Resident Company" of the Hult Center for the Performing Arts. This meant it was a main group that performed regularly at the Hult Center. Two years later, in 1995, The Shedd opened its own community music school. This school offered music lessons to people of all ages.
Expanding Music Programs
By 1997, The Shedd decided to offer programs all year long, not just in the summer. They started two new music series. One was called The American Composers Series. It focused on classical music written by composers from North and South America after 1900. Another series was The Emerald City Jazz Kings. This group, with 16 to 22 musicians, played older popular music from the 1910s to the 1960s. They especially focused on big band jazz, swing, and classic American songs.
In 1998, a famous jazz pianist and composer named Dick Hyman joined The Shedd as a jazz advisor. He helped guide the artistic direction of the August festival. By 2002, The Shedd had even more concert series. They expanded their classical music offerings and added a folklife festival. They also started a series called Now Hear This, which featured many different types of music and performances.
A Special Performance
In August 2000, The Shedd Institute presented something very special. They put on the first public performance of a ballet called "La colline du delta." This ballet was written in 1955 by an American saxophone player and composer named Sidney Bechet. Dick Hyman conducted the music, and the Eugene Ballet's Toni Pimble created the dances.
Finding a New Home
In July 2002, The Shedd Institute moved into a new home. It was an old church building in downtown Eugene. This building was very large, about 65,000 square feet, with many spaces for performances, meetings, and classrooms. The Shedd named this new building "The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts." It was named after John G. Shedd, a businessman and helper from the early 1900s. In 2004, the Oregon Festival of American Music officially changed its name to match the building's name. People often call the organization "The Shedd Institute," and the building itself is simply known as "The Shedd."
Performance Series
The Shedd Institute has several different concert series that offer a variety of performances:
- Oregon Festival of American Music (started in 1992)
- The Emerald City Jazz Kings (started in 1997)
- Shedd Classical (started in 1997)
- Shedd Theatricals (started in 2002)
- The Magical Moombah (started in 2001)
- Now Hear This (started in 2002)
- Shedd Presents (started in 2004)
See also
- List of concert halls
