NEWS RELEASE

DATE: Feb. 16, 2011
CONTACT: Mark Demko, ArtsQuest, 484-634-1800 or mdemko@artsquest.org
 

LEVITT PAVILION STEELSTACKS ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Community Advocate and SouthSide Bethlehem Resident to Lead New Community Music Venue

BETHLEHEM, PA—Olga Negron of Bethlehem has been named the first Executive Director of the nonprofit Friends of the Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks, the organization announced today.

"The hiring of our executive director represents the next major step in the development of this dynamic outdoor music pavilion," said Friends of Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks Board of Directors President Jim Creedon. "Olga’s deep roots in the community and her commitment to service are the perfect combination to lead the Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks."

Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks, which is made possible through the support of the Mortimer Levitt Foundation and the national Levitt Pavilions organization, will host its opening concert July 2 and feature 30 free concerts during its inaugural series in 2011. The pavilion will host more than 50 free concerts annually May through August starting in 2012. Programming and management of the pavilion will be done by Friends of Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks, which is responsible for operating the venue.

"This is an opportunity for me to continue to serve the Lehigh Valley community in a new and exciting capacity," said Negron, who comes to Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks from the Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations of the Lehigh Valley, where she served as the council’s executive director. "Music brings people together and creates its own sense of community. What better way to create that community than by bringing live, free music to this new pavilion in the heart of this former steel plant, which was so important to the community for so many years."

At Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks, concert-goers will be able to bring their blankets or chairs and relax under the stars on the lawn as they enjoy a wide variety of local, regional and national performing artists. Blues, rock, Latin, world and country music are just some of the genres that will be showcased at the venue, which has a capacity of 2,500 people.

Levitt pavilions are developed through private/public partnerships in collaboration with the host cities through support from public officials, business and community leaders and people from throughout the community. Typically located in public parks, each Levitt Pavilion is a city-owned facility that is managed and programmed by a local Friends of Levitt Pavilion nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Through this innovative private/public structure, resources are leveraged to revitalize public spaces and provide high quality arts programming that’s accessible to all.

In addition to Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks, the Levitt network includes outdoor venues in Memorial Park, Pasadena, Calif.; Los Angeles’ McArthur Park; Overton Park in Memphis; Founders Plaza in Arlington, Texas; and the original Levitt Pavilion in Westport, Conn. Each venue presents the Levitt program of 50 or more professional concerts annually, with free admission to the public. Programming is designed to appeal to all tastes, bringing people from all ages and backgrounds together to share an evening of great music and a true feeling of community.

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