Having produced the Patten Performances seriesat the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for six years now, Bob Boyer is confident he has the series back on track. When he took over ticket sales were lackluster and the series was moribund. For the first three years he booked sure-fire acts, and slowly began re-building the audience for the heritage fine arts program.
Most seasons are divided more or less evenly between music, theater, and dance, but this year there's a lot more music. In addition to the three headlining acts -- The Blind Boys of Alabama, the classical quintet Sybarite 5, and vibraphonist Stefon Harris and his band, Blackout -- Boyer has added two shows featuring young singer-songwriters Katie Trotta and Lon Eldridge. Called Patten Unplugged, it's Bob Boyer's first steps toward further broadening the music in the series beyond jazz and classical music.
Details on the performers, showtimes and tickets are on the Fine Arts Center website: www.utc.edu/fine-arts-center.