For Immediate Release:
September 13, 2016
Contact: Tanya Jeffers, Brazer Communications
tanya@brazercommunications.com, Cell: 415-720-6456, Office: 775-470-8203
Tad Taube to be Honored on September 22 as The UC Theatre in Berkeley Officially Names its Taube Family Music Hall
Shana Penn, Taube Philanthropies executive director, receives naming of music hall lobby
BERKELEY, Calif. – The Taube Family Music Hall will be named in honor of Bay Area philanthropist Tad Taube on Thursday, September 22, at a formal event and unveiling at The UC Theatre in Berkeley. Shana Penn, executive director of Taube Philanthropies, will also be recognized with the naming of the Shana Penn Lobby. Youth jazz band Oakland Future Trio will perform and plaques will be unveiled as part of the celebration at the newly renovated and reopened Bay Area landmark music venue. The event begins at 11 a.m.
A matching grant of $1.3 million from Tad Taube, chairman of Bay Area-based Taube Philanthropies, was a critical component in the last phase of the $7.2 million capital campaign to complete the renovation of The UC Theatre. Taube came forward with the matching grant more than a year ago, challenging the community to help “Turn on the Lights” for a re-imagined venue.
One of the most historically significant theaters in Berkeley, The UC Theatre has since been transformed by the nonprofit Berkeley Music Group, led by president and founder David M. Mayeri, into a live music venue with a focus on youth education programs including the new Concert Career Pathways Program.
“The matching grant from Tad was transformative for us,” said Mayeri. “It’s what made it all possible for us to have a community-minded cultural space, allowing us to offer a wonderfully multipurpose venue to the community.”
The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall and its Shana Penn Lobby is now an elegant multi-tiered, all-ages 1,400-capacity live music venue with a state-of-the-art Meyer Leopard sound system and a full-service bar and kitchen. Reminiscent of The Fillmore in San Francisco and The Fox Theatre in Oakland, the new venue will present a diverse range of local, national and international artists and bands featuring the best in live entertainment including: indie, alternative, jazz, R&B, electronica, hip-hop, EDM, world, pop, comedy and much more.
Additional programming will include comedy shows, films, and speaker series. Community programming will include symphony concerts, opera recitals, choral and Gospel performances, and other programs that appeal to a variety of audiences.
“Both Shana and I are honored by this recognition and also to be an integral part of the truly collaborative effort it took to rebuild and revitalize The UC Theatre, such an important Bay Area landmark,” said Tad Taube. “Our hope is that the Bay Area community, even those outside of Berkeley, will take the time to experience all that this new performance center has to offer.”
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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 UC Theatre in Berkeley
The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall is a multi-tiered, all-ages 1,400-capacity live music venue with a state-of-the-art Meyer Leopard sound system and a full-service bar and kitchen. We present a diverse range of local, national and international artists and bands featuring the best in live entertainment including: indie, alternative, jazz, R&B, electronica, hip-hop, EDM, world, pop, comedy and much more. A cross between The Fillmore in San Francisco and The Fox Theatre in Oakland, The UC Theatre is operated by the Berkeley Music Group (BMG), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For additional information about the Berkeley Music Group please visit here.
