FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 2, 2016
Contact: Tanya Jeffers, Brazer Communications for Taube Philanthropies tanya@brazercommunications.com, Cell: 415-720-6456, Office: 775-470-8203
Class in Session! Concert Career Pathways Program at The UC Theatre Formally Opens to Bay Area Youth; Capital Campaign Funded in Part by Taube Philanthropies
Selective and comprehensive program launches to teach the technical, creative and business aspects of concert, event promotion and production
Photo: Yoni Mayeri
Berkeley, Calif. – A $1.3 million matching grant from Taube Philanthropies, an important component in the last phase of the $7.2 million capital campaign to complete the renovation of The UC Theatre (UCT), has now come full circle with the formal opening of the Concert Career Pathways Program at UCT. The highly anticipated program offers free workshops and paid internships to 17-25-year-old participants, including production management, event coordination, stagehand, floor staff, live sound engineering, lighting design, event budgeting, box office operations, marketing, social media promotion, booking and more.
The Concert Career Pathways Program at The UC Theatre, located at 2036 University Avenue, is part of the UCT overall mission to “pay it forward.” The program, which provides job training and employment opportunities to Bay Area youth, is especially meaningful to UCT director David Mayeri, who began his music career as a teenage stagehand intern and ultimately served as the chief operating officer for Bill Graham Presents.
The innovative program offers participating students the critical and creative thinking skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century workplace, providing opportunities that empower young people and strengthen the local economy. In addition to having access to state-of-the-art production technology and equipment, graduates will be introduced to a network of Bay Area venues for employment opportunities. Fifty-five people applied to participate in the program with 18 finally accepted. At least 50 percent of participants are from low-income, underserved communities who might otherwise have no access to such an experience or related job opportunities.
UCT works with fellow local nonprofits to identify possible participants, and the program is also open to the public. Participating nonprofits specialize in youth development and also serve on UCT’s education advisory committee.
“I’m delighted and proud that our collective effort to launch the Concert Career Pathways Program at The UC Theatre is now a reality,” said Tad Taube, chairman of Taube Philanthropies. “Without a doubt, the program will greatly enrich our community by offering a solid foundation of real-world work experience that, in turn, they can offer to prospective employers.”
“Our program is one of the most comprehensive and accessible in the country,” said Robyn Bykofsky, education director at The UC Theatre. “We are grateful to Tad Taube and the entire Taube Philanthropies organization for their ongoing support. We believe that our program will set the standard for others to follow.”
Renamed The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall and Shana Penn Lobby, it is an elegant, multi-tiered venue accommodating 1,400 people and will present a diverse range of local, national and international artists.
Taube Philanthropies was established in 1981 by its founder and chairman, Tad Taube. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the foundation makes philanthropic investments in Jewish, civic, and cultural life primarily in the Bay Area, Poland, and Israel. The grant- making program supports institution-building, scholarship, heritage preservation, arts and culture, and education. Taube Philanthropies is committed to collaborative giving for greatest charitable impact and actively partners with individual donors and other foundations. For more information please visit taubephilanthropies.org
The Berkeley Music Group was founded in 2012 to run and operate The UC Theatre, and is dedicated to ensuring that The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall strengthens the Bay Area’s vibrant fabric of nonprofit arts & service organizations. Our mission is to present a vibrant and diverse range of live performances to advance the understanding and appreciation of music, culture and education in the Bay Area. For more information and course details please visit theuctheatre.org/education
