The fourth and final candidate in the ongoing search to fill the campus's new Executive Director for the Arts position visited campus Wednesday, emphasizing the need to increase exposure of UNC's creative community.
Tony Beadle, manager of the Boston Pops orchestra for the past 5 1/2 years, was the subject of the last of four public forums meant to highlight the finalists for the campus's new head arts position. During the event, he said it is vital to bring wider recognition to UNC's already strong programs in order to attract money from donors.
"I want to bring the arts to the prominence they deserve here," Beadle said to a small crowd in the Morehead Planetarium Faculty Lounge. "The arts are a well-kept secret here. ... The building of a recognizable name people equate with excellence and diversity is important."
Beadle's first managerial position was working with Boston's Project Chamber Orchestra in 1978. He said that he took the position because he wanted to spread the group's music to as many people as possible, and that such desires still drive him today. "The thrill for me was to bring what I was doing to more people," he said.
During the forum, Beadle addressed a litany of issues the new arts director will face. In addition to fund raising, he also discussed possible corporate sponsorship of events, taking care to state that there comes a point where a line must be drawn.
"I don't think we need a Budweiser banner at the bottom of the stage for 'Richard II,'" he said.
Beadle also discussed the potential uses of Memorial Hall, Playmakers Theatre and Gerrard Hall. The new EDA, when chosen, will be charged with handling these venues for artistic performances.
"The buildings are an excellent fodder for a sort of summer festival that could put Carolina on the map," he said.
Beadle, who studied at Boston University and was a performer with the Boston Pops before entering the managerial realm, also spoke about fostering cooperation between the EDA and the campus.
