The Rockport Chamber Music Festival is pleased to announce… The Shalin Liu Performance Center

Thanks to an extraordinary gift from a visionary donor, Shalin Liu ­ for whom the building will be named - the Campaign for the new Performance Center has a very promising beginning.

Read more about: Visionary Philanthropist, Shalin Liu (downloadable pdf article)

A New Home for the Rockport Chamber Music Festival

The Rockport Chamber Music Festival is widely recognized as one of the most distinguished chamber music festivals in the United States. Under the leadership of Artistic Director David Deveau since 1995, the Festival has grown steadily in quality, attendance, and national reputation.

A year-round, permanent home at the new performance center will allow an expanded summer festival season of classical music and the addition of:

  • A Jazz Series
  • World music performances
  • Young Performers Series
  • Children’s concerts

Last year, the Festival presented music outreach programs to over 2,000 Cape Ann public school students. The new venue will allow us to expand our educational partnerships with the local schools. Through the generosity of a leadership donor, $500,000 of the campaign has already been set aside as an endowment for music education for children and young people.

A Cape Ann Community Resource

An essential part of our vision for the new performance center is its role as a lively, year-round community resource and — as an unusually inviting arts destination — an invigorating force for the cultural and business life of Cape Ann. Community partnerships and events we envision are:

  • Performance, rehearsal, and educational programs for local public schools
  • A film series
  • Lectures and business conferences
  • Small-scale musical, theatrical and dance performance
  • Social and civic events

An Elegant Building Where All Are Welcome

The design of the new performance center will honor the optimism and energy of the original Haskins building and its historic Main Street context. Features of the center include:

  • An intimate concert hall, with a balcony and comfortable seating for approximately 325 people
  • Multi-purpose space for classes, rehearsals, meetings, lectures
  • Ocean-front reception space, with catering kitchen, for social, civic, and corporate gatherings
  • Full air-conditioning and heating system
  • ADA handicap accessibility, with an elevator
    Alan Joslin, of Epstein Joslin Architects of Cambridge, a principal designer of Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, is Principal-in-Charge for the design of the new building. R. Lawrence Kirkegaard of Chicago, an internationally know acoustician for concert hall and performance space, is overseeing the acoustic design.

To make this vision a reality in 2009 will take the hard work and generosity of people throughout our community and beyond. We invite you to join us in this exciting new endeavor. Please imagine the possibilities for yourself and contact Betsy Giannoccaro, our Campaign Manager at campaign@rcmf.org for information on how you can help.