The Kentucky Center Blog

Congratulations! Governor's School for the Arts announces incoming class for 2013.

 

The Governor's School for the Arts (GSA), a donor-supported program administered by The Kentucky Center, proudly announces its 2013 incoming class.

Out of more than 1800 applicants, these students were chosen across nine creative disciplines: architecture, creative writing, dance, drama, instrumental music, musical theatre, new media, visual art, and vocal music.

Every summer for the past twenty-five years, GSA and our faculty of professional artist/educators have guided over two hundred of Kentucky’s finest young artists through three weeks of incredibly intense (and incredibly fun) arts instruction (since 2000, on the campus of Transylvania University in Lexington). 

For three solid weeks, the students live, breathe, eat and sleep the arts. It’s a thrilling, often life-changing experience, as they meet new friends, explore their creativity, and discover new things about who they are and who they can be in the future.

What does GSA cost students? Not a dime. GSA is free to all students selected for the program. GSA pays the entire cost of $2,800 per student through the General Assembly under the leadership of the Governor, along with donations from individuals, corporations and private foundations.

The truth is, GSA creates opportunities far beyond arts instruction.  Here are some facts about GSA alumni:

• 98% go on to college
• 93% earn scholarships
• GSA Alumni average total scholarship value = $59,000
• GSA alumni score 6 points higher on the ACT than the national average

Graduates of the summer program are eligible for a host of scholarships and educational opportunities in all fields of study.  Representatives from as many as 70 colleges and universities from across the country audition and interview graduates in the fall during GSA’s College and Career Day. Students can meet with representatives from such prestigious programs as the Savannah College of Art and Design and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, along with great programs from the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, Transylvania University, Morehead State University, Bellarmine University, Centre College, Eastern Kentucky University, Western Kentucky University, and many more.  Plus, twenty colleges and universities welcome GSA alums with scholarships, just for having completed the program.

This promotional video provides an overview of the GSA Summer Program:

 

THANK YOU for making KY GIVES Day such a success!

THANK YOU to everyone who participated in KY GIVES Day! Over $330,000 was raised to support nonprofit organizations across the state. We are deeply grateful to those individuals who made a donation in support of The Kentucky Center’s Education and Community Arts programs. Thanks to your
generosity, we finished in the top 30 organizations based on donations received, from among over 375 participating nonprofits. Plus we received an additional donation – a “golden ticket” prize – from the Kentucky Nonprofit Network. What a wonderful day! We will definitely put those dollars to good use
serving youth and adults throughout the Commonwealth.

KY GIVES DAY is April 24! Support The Kentucky Center's Education and Community Arts Programs.

April 24, 2013 is KY GIVES DAY, a 24-hr event where people across the state of Kentucky will log onto a single web site to make donations to support their favorite nonprofit organizations and worthy causes.

On April 24, The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts invites you to make a donation in support of our award-winning Education and Community Arts programs:

Arts in Healing

ArtsReach

Governor's School for the Arts

These programs, closely aligned with our institutional mission, educate, inspire, and improve quality of life for youth and adults in all 120 counties of the Commonwealth.

Click here to make your donation on April 24.

Busy on 4/24? You can follow the instructions below to make a donation in advance - and schedule it to be processed along with other KY GIVES gifts on the 24th.

How to schedule your donation:

Visit www.kygives.org.

Scroll halfway down the page and click on the green "Connect with Nonprofits" button.

Next page: In the "Search for a Cause" box, type in "Kentucky Center for the Arts Endowment Fund." Hit the SEARCH button.

In the Search Results, click our link.

On our page,enter your total donation amount.

From the drop-down menu under "Make This Donation Occur...", select "On A Giving Day."

On the next page, fill out your payment information. At the bottom of the page, above the SUBMIT NOW button, you'll notice the sentence that explains your donation will be processed on April 24, 2013.

Be sure to hit SUBMIT NOW to put your donation into the processing queue.

Kentucky Center Governor's School for the Arts alum competing on NBC's "The Voice"

 

Congratulations to Governor’s School for the Arts alum – and Louisville resident – Brandon Rousch for being selected to participate on NBC’s “The Voice.” The vocal coaches in season four are Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Usher and Shakira. In episode one, Brandon was praised for his soulful voice and the volunteer work he does with autistic children. Shakira was the first to buzz in after a couple of minutes - to the delight of Brandon's family backstage.

Check-out Brandon’s page on The Voice website.

Learn more about the Governor's School for the Arts, a donor-supported program administered by The Kentucky Center.

Kentucky Center Governor's School for the Arts alum joins prestigious Canadian Brass

In an exclusive performance that aired in March on SiriusXM Pops, Canadian Brass, the legendary brass ensemble, surprised listeners by introducing Caleb Hudson, an exceptionally gifted young trumpet player, as its newest member.

Caleb is a Kentucky Center Governor’s School for the Arts alum! At just 25, the Juilliard grad has already assembled an impressive résumé, including multiple first-place awards at the National Trumpet competition and a professional solo debut with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center this season.

When Caleb performed “Bach and the Beatles” with Canadian Brass on the radio program, he was billed as a guest performer. At the end of the half hour performance, which showcased Hudson’s undeniable virtuosity, quiet confidence and infectious charm, the group made an unexpected announcement: Caleb Hudson is joining the world’s most famous brass ensemble as its newest member.

Learn more about the Governor's School for the Arts, a donor-supported program administered by The Kentucky Center.

Shop & Dine in November to support The Kentucky Center's Education & Community Arts Programs

 During the month of November, we invite you to shop and dine to support The Kentucky Center’s award-winning Education and Community Arts initiatives, including Arts in Healing, ArtsReach, the Governor’s School for the Arts, and statewide school programs.

Please make plans to join us by putting these dates in your calendar now! Your support allows us to serve people of all ages, in a variety of settings, across the Commonwealth.

Dine-in or Carry-out at The Village Anchor (Anchorage)
Monday, November 19, 5-10 p.m.

We invite you to dine-in or carry-out at The Village Anchor on Monday evening, November 19. Be sure to mention The Kentucky Center to your server or cashier. The percentage donated as a contribution to our Education and Community Arts programs is based on the total number of orders placed that evening, so please share this invitation with your friends and family.

The Village Anchor is located at 11507 Park Rd, Anchorage, KY, 40223. 

We highly recommend you make reservations to ensure that you have a table. To book reservations, call (502) 708-1850 or reserve online www.villageanchor.com. We’ll see you there!

Shop at Just Creations (Crescent Hill)
Tuesday, November 27, 6–8 p.m.

Just Creations will open the store after hours, just for us, on November 27. A percentage of sales from the Community Shopping Night will be donated to The Kentucky Center's Education and Community Arts programs.

You’ll love shopping at this beautiful store, filled with Fair Trade items from over 45 countries, including housewares, clothing, jewelry, handbags and totes, skincare products, coffee, chocolates, etc. Get a jump on your holiday shopping or take home something lovely for yourself.

Just Creations is located at 2722 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY, 40206.

Applications being taken for Kentucky Center Governor's School for the Arts 2012 ArtShops and 2013 Summer Program

Now is the time for highschool students to submit applications for The Kentucky Center's Governor's School for the Arts 2012 ArtShops and 2013 Summer Program.

Please share this information with any talented, creative young Kentucky high school students you know.

Each fall, GSA schedules four FREE ArtShops in communities throughout Kentucky.  ArtShops provide high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors with the opportunity to spend a day in a facility close to their hometown in a hands-on arts enrichment opportunity.  Students must be residents of Kentucky and attend a Kentucky high school or home school.

2012 ArtShop Dates:

November 3rd: Morehead State University (Morehead)

November 10th: Transylvania University (Lexington)

November 17th: Sacred Heart School for the Arts (Louisville) and Owensboro High School (Owensboro)

ArtsShops are conducted by the region’s most outstanding teaching artists in nine arts disciplines that include architecture, creative writing, dance, drama, instrumental music, musical theatre, new media, visual art and vocal music.  Students also learn about the GSA summer program, audition and application procedures, as well as other arts opportunities in their area.  Parents and teachers are informed of the specifics of the summer program during an information session.

To register for ArtShops, click here.

“I plan to audition for the summer program next year, and after the ArtShop, I feel like I can do it.  Just one day of working with the instructors gave me direction for my portfolio.”  – Visual Art student, Ashland

The GSA Summer Program is a three-week residential program where accepted students receive life-changing instruction, mentoring and fellowship, along with free room and board. Rising juniors and seniors in high school are offered in-depth instruction in one of nine artistic disciplines: architecture, creative writing, dance, drama, instrumental music, musical theatre, new media, visual art, and vocal music. Students are immersed in a rigorous schedule of daily seminars, master classes, lectures, hands-on workshops and field trips.

While each student specializes in one art form, all students participate in structured, interdisciplinary arts experiences designed to familiarize them with the joys and challenges of specialties other than their own.  Upon completion of the summer program, students become part of the ever-growing GSA alumni network, gaining a variety of opportunities such as scholarship opportunities and funding through the Toyota Alumni Fund. Learn more about the Summer Program application process here.

Generous donation + additional state funding allow KY Governor's School for the Arts to reinstate New Media program

[As reported by Erin Keane on WFPL.org, http://www.wfpl.org/post/governors-school-arts-reinstates-new-media-program]

The Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts, which provides free studio arts education to Kentucky high school students, will reinstate its new media program for the next fiscal year.

Earlier this month, the arts education organization announced it would suspend the new media program for one year to help address its $50,000 budget shortfall, the result of state-wide 8.4 percent budget cuts designed to address Kentucky’s structural deficit.  GSA is an agency of Kentucky’s Tourism, Arts and Heritage cabinet.

A private donation from Louisville philanthropists Gil and Augusta Holland, as well as additional funding from the office of the secretary of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage cabinet, will pay for the program this year. Cabinet spokesperson Gil Lawson says the state contribution came from leftover cabinet grant funds.

“Our agency was able to fill that gap because we felt it was important and we were able to muster the resources for this,” says Lawson.

Suspending the new media program would have recouped about three-quarters of GSA’s $50,000 budget shortfall.  The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts will raise an additional $13,000 to address GSA’s remaining budget shortfall.

GSA executive director Carrie Nath says the new media program accounted for a larger chunk of the budget shortfall than they had originally calculated.

“This specific discipline has a lot of equipment costs and additional costs other disciplines might not have because of the nature of the artistic discipline," says Nath. "The total when we were completely finished was $37,000.”

Last summer, GSA served 225 students in nine disciplines in its competitive three-week summer residential program. New media students study video production, animation and digital imagery in the summer program and at free workshops held across the state every fall.

In 2013, GSA will pare down the summer new media program slightly, admitting ten students instead of 12. New media will be offered at all four of this fall's four ArtShops, the free day-long workshops GSA offers to high school students across the state. Applications for the 2013 summer program will be available online in October.

Update on Pentatonix tickets + new interview (they're working on a Christmas recording)

Pentatonix Interview- Season 3 Winners of 'The... by ClevverMusic 

Members of the a cappella group PENTATONIX are traveling the country on their first tour following a win on NBC's "The Sing-Off" and the release of their debut recording.

The group is scheduled to perform at The Kentucky Center in the Bomhard Theater on Wednesday, September 19, as the kick-off evening performance for this year's IdeaFestival.

Three of the five vocalists were high school friends and even auditioned for GLEE together!  Their recording - Pentatonix: Volume 1 - released earlier this year, debuted at #5 on Billboard's Digital chart and #14 on Billboard's Top 200. The recording includes the cover tunes that helped them win "The Sing-Off" plus their first original compositions.

Here's the scoop on getting a ticket for Pentatonix at The Kentucky Center!

Tickets are currently unavailable while we finish seating IdeaFestival All-Access Pass holders.

Please check back with our box office (502.584.7777) and on www.kentuckycenter.org after Labor Day! We expect new ticket inventory to open up around September 7. Mark your calendar - and check back with us if you want a seat, because this show is definitely going to sell-out.

August 18: Governor's School for the Arts Alumni Showcase + free arts activities

Celebrate GSA's 25th Anniversary with family-friendly activities and an evening of live entertainment!

The Kentucky Center Governor's School for the Arts presents

GSA's 25th Anniversary Alumni Showcase

Saturday, August 18

The Kentucky Center, Bomhard Theater


The Kentucky Center Governor's School for the Arts is celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of their Summer Program, 21-days of intensive arts training, mentoring, and networking, provided free each year to the state's most-talented high school students.

Event timeline:

4 p.m. - Lobby opens

5:15 p.m. - "Coffeehouse" starts (runs to 6:45)

7 p.m. - Bomhard Theater opens

7:30 p.m. - Showcase performances begin

Free activities, open to the public, in Kentucky Center main lobby:

• Alumni and faculty art exhibit
• Virtual art gallery on our plasma screens
• Dress-up fun with Magnolia Photo Booth
• GSA boutique featuring cool shirts and totes for sale
• "Coffehouse" - a multidisciplinary Open Mic performance opportunity. Spoken Word, stand-up comedy, drama, dance, vocal or instrumental music...all performers are welcome provided content is family-friendly. Sign-ups begin at 4:45.
• New Media alumni silent films and Claymation movies in the East Room, located behind The Kentucky Center Bar

Beverages and food items will be available for purchase during the events. Lobby, concessions, and bar will remain open until 11:00 pm with an opportunity to meet the Showcase performers.

Alumni Performance Showcase: Join composer, performer and educator Harry Pickens, violinist Zach Brock, and program alumni, as they rock the house and celebrate the best young Kentucky artists of the last 25 years. With special appearance by Ben Sollee. And you never know who else might pop up on the stage!

Showcase tickets are $30, general admission seating, fees apply. Tickets are available online, by phone (502.844.7777), and at The Kentucky Center box office and drive-thru.

All proceeds go to fund The Kentucky Center Governor’s School for the Arts. Your support will help young artists' dreams come true!