remodeling and looking back

I may ruin a bit of a surprise here by posting this picture, but take a look at the new and improved Booker Lobby! My disclaimers are: 1) this is still a work-in-progress 2) I know this is a weird angle, and 3) I am no professional photographer. That said, I'm excited to share the news that we've had the lobby outside of Camp Concert Hall remodeled, and it looks fantastic. We now have an official-looking lobby for our gorgeous performance venue, and I'm looking forward to what it will look like when it's totally finished.

The 2008 incarnation of the lobby got me thinking about the last time the lobby was changed, and what changes we've both gone through together (okay, so I realize that this makes the lobby sound human or something, but I'm taking some artistic license here).

I arrived at UR in 1995 fresh out of high school and ready to get involved with the music department. I admit to not remembering too much about how the lobby looked back then, because it was in the process of a major renovation - it was going from the Camp Theatre in the Fine Arts Building (oh, the time spent in The FAB!) to the Camp Concert Hall in the Booker Hall of Music, which would then be part of the Modlin Center for the Arts. I remember taking a hard-hat tour of the new building and of this lobby, and it was exciting. I knew that great things were coming, and I was glad that the Modlin Center would open my sophomore year, because this meant that I had 3 years to enjoy it (my friends who were seniors at the time were seriously jealous).

I was pretty sure that most of my time spent in the Modlin Center would involve performing - the University music ensembles rehearse and perform in the concert hall, and this is an incredible opportunity for students - and attending performances. I had no idea that the Modlin Center would become a second home for me, both during school and after graduation.

One of my activities during college was Alpha Phi Omega, the co-ed service fraternity. As part of my volunteer hours, I often ushered for student recitals in Perkinson Recital Hall during my freshman year. The APO member who organized the project was a senior, so my friend Jodie and I decided to take that project over for sophomore year. In retrospect, I realize that this decision seemed small at the time but ended up having a huge impact on my life. Since the Modlin Center was opening soon, they were looking for students to volunteer for the opening weekend, and I think that's the first way in which I got involved - I had made the connection with the Modlin Center while working on the recital ushering for the year. When the Modlin Center looked for student house managers, I was ready to give it a try.

I admit that I'd not thought about the arts business as a career before then. I was an elementary education student, and I eventually taught school for five years after graduating from UR in 1999. While teaching, I was a pro house manager here, because it was a part of my life that I couldn't imagine living without. When a full-time job opened up at the Modlin Center, I knew that it was something that I wanted to do. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made!

I'm proud to say that I've worked for the Modlin Center in some capacity since its opening in October of 1996. Here's to another great year, new lobby and all!