The Park City Institute has announced its lineup—and a new venue—for the St. Regis Big Stars, Bright Nights concert series, after weathering some financial trouble last year.
This year’s concert series will be held at the Eccles Center. Last year, the Institute struggled to find a venue for the series, after Deer Valley decided not to renew its contract with the Institute. The Institute ended up hosting the concerts at City-owned venues, but the change threw them a financial curveball. Park City Institute Executive Director Teri Orr says they had hoped to build an amphitheater in time for the summer concerts, but the heavy snow year and timing got in the way.
But Orr doesn’t think moving the series indoors will be a detriment to concert attendance. Based on feedback the Institute has already received, Orr is confident the shows will sell out.
“The 1200 seats that we have in the Eccles Center is certainly less than the opportunities we've had outdoors in the summer, so we have fewer seats to sell," Orr said. "And there are a lot of people that like the idea of sitting in a fixed seat and knowing exactly where they're going to be, and not having to queue up hours in advance and all of those things. And we think we have a great season planned, so that's a piece of it as well.”
Some benefits to hosting the series at the Eccles, Orr says, is that there’s plenty of parking and no 10 p.m. sound curfew. On the other hand, no outside food or drink is allowed, but Orr says a kind of “club” for people to meet at before and after the show is in the works.
Orr says the Institute is now in much better shape financially, and the Institute created a financial committee to guide them in the days ahead.
“They’re an advisory committee that's focusing just on how do we get from where we were to where we want to be, and we've made great strides," Orr said. "There's some terrific folks who are helping us get some clarity about the changing business of being in the performing arts.”
The five-show series opens July 7, with country duo Brothers Osborne, followed by Punch Brothers; Taj Mahal Quartet and Marc Cohn, featuring the Blind Boys of Alabama; Gone West; and CAM.
Tickets for members go on sale April 26 and for non-members on May 3. Prices vary per show and seat location. For more information about the shows and tickets, visit parkcityinstitute.org.
