24-hour city,” Garrard says. “In many cities when you go downtown at night, it’s a little lonely. Downtown Columbus now is pretty vibrant.” Along with bringing renowned perfor-
mances to Columbus, RiverCenter also partners with local performing arts orga- nizations by serving as the home of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Youth Orchestra of Greater Columbus, the pro- fessional chorus Cantus Columbus and the Columbus Ballet. After just 10 years of operation, Riv-
erCenter has become a cultural hub for the arts. During the 2011-2012 sea- son alone,
Joshua Bell, a performance by the Rus- sian National Ballet,
the center hosted violinist comedian
Jerry
Seinfeld, and theatrical performances Fiddler on the Roof and Mamma Mia. “The thing that’s common in all of our per- formances is artistic excellence,” says Bill Bullock, executive director of RiverCenter. To celebrate its 10th anniversary,
RiverCenter is hosting “Te Midtown Men,” featuring four stars from the original Broadway cast of Jersey Boys, on Saturday, Sept. 8. There will be a Gala Birthday Bash held in the Grand Lobby following the show. “We’re calling our 2012-2013 season ‘Celebrate 10 Years,’” says Bill Bullock. “Te Midtown Men” production will
reunite Tony Award-winners Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria and Daniel Reich- ard along with nominee J. Robert Spencer in a concert celebrating music that defined the ‘60s. Other upcoming shows in the 2012-
2013 season include performances by actress, comedienne and singer Bernadette Peters, comedian Bill Engvall and musi- cals Shrek, Catch Me if You Can and Te Addams Family. Since the beginning, Garrard says he
believes the RiverCenter has had a posi- tive effect on downtown by stimulat- ing economic growth from the arts. “I happen to believe that economic growth and development of a city is driven by arts and culture today as companies seek an educated workforce,” Garrard says. “[Peo- ple considering a move to Columbus] would see that a city committed to the arts is a good place to live.”
August 2012 Columbus and the Valley 33
Many businesses, including Aflac, have
sponsored RiverCenter through its early years, Garrard says, and its main goal going forward will be to get more sponsors and more people to join as annual members. As RiverCenter approaches its next 10
years, Bullock says he is hopeful that it will experience the same level of success
it has had in its first ten years of opera- tion. “It may sound presumptuous, but I think we’re doing a pretty good job,” Bull- ock says. “I think our challenge is to keep doing that good job.” C
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