Senator Lack Obtains Two Grants to Support
Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
January 13, 2000 - State Senator James J. Lack (R-East Northport)
has sponsored a special state grant in support of Tilles Center
for the Performing Arts, located on the C.W. Post Campus of Long
Island University in Brookville, New York. The grant is to finance
capital renovations and supplement arts programming and will
allow Tilles Center, the premier concert hall for the 2.7 million
New Yorkers who live in the Nassau/Suffolk region, to expand
its offerings and make the Center more comfortable for arts patrons.
"The New York State Legislature has, over the years,
been very supportive of the performing arts and Tilles Center,"
said Elliott Sroka, Executive Director of Tilles Center. "With
Senator Lack's help, we will be able to continue our tradition
of bringing unique programs and world renowned performers to
Tilles Center and a very enthusiastic Long Island audience."
Sroka added that, in addition to this major new grant, Senator
Lack is also a grant sponsor of Tilles Center's annual Great
Music series. The three-part classical concert series brings
to Long Island such international attractions as the New York
Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Boston Symphony
Orchestra and the great orchestral ensembles of Europe and Russia.
In addition, these series feature outstanding soloists like
violinist Itzhak Perlman and pianist Andrew Watts.
Senator Lack represents the 2nd District, which follows western
Suffolk's North Shore from Huntington to Port Jefferson. His
position as Vice Chair of the Special Senate Committee on the
Arts and Cultural Affairs gives the eleven-term Deputy Majority
Whip a statewide view of trends in the arts and public financing
for them. "Music and the arts make up an important facet
of the New York identity," said Senator Lack, "and
Tilles Center is a vital part."
"Tilles adds in quantum measure to the quality of our
lives," Senator Lack added. "It's an honor to help
Tilles bring the best the world has to offer in music and culture
to a Long Island stage. " He noted that support for the
fine arts has a tangible side too, attracting top businesses
and good jobs to the Nassau/Suffolk region. The impact these
businesses have on the local economy provides a key incentive
for continued public support for programs like the ones at Tilles
Center.
Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, established in 1981,
presents its own seasons of entertainment for adults and children
and is the theatrical home for many of Long Island's leading
arts organizations - the Long Island Philharmonic, Friends of
the Arts, the Eglevsky Ballet, the National Grand Opera and the
New York Virtuosi. The stage at Tilles Center has featured some
of the world's most honored orchestras and soloists, as well
as popular performers from Broadway and Hollywood, leading dance
companies and opera and singing groups. Tilles Center also sponsors
educational outreach programs, including the Stage II
and Tilles for Kids initiatives, to introduce school-aged
children to the arts.
Though still in planning stages, the Tilles Center Board of
Trustees has outlined several goals to make Tilles Center - which
welcomes more than a quarter million patrons each year - more
attractive and accommodating. In addition, the Board hopes to
enhance programming and services staff and augment the already
famous Tilles Center lineup that boasts more than 200 shows a
year.
For more information about the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island
University or Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, please call
the C.W. Post Public Relations Office at (516) 299-2333. The
C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University is located on Northern
Boulevard (Route 25A) in Brookville, New York. Visit the Tilles
Center web site at www.tillescenter.org.
