“Terrific” Ahn Trio live shortened performance draws audience of only 19; absence of local advertising continues to haunt Verde Campus special events; M-137 poor music venue

The Ahn Trio performed live in at a shortened classical music concert on the Verde Campus in room M-137 Friday evening (tickets $15 & $20). The tiny audience thoroughly enjoyed the concert, which was lively and “fun.” They were invited to attend the full concert in Prescott scheduled for Saturday.

This was the fourth college cultural event held in the last two months where there was little or no adequate notice about it. The result has been a turnout of an audience of 2, 2, 7 and now 19 respectively for the four shows.

The drawbacks to how the College is trying to provide these events to the community is obvious. The setting for them is dreadful. There is, for example, neither a stage nor tiered seating. This makes it impossible for most of an audience to see the performers. If there had been a large turnout for the Ahn concert, the view of the players would have been blocked by persons sitting in front of them.

Ahn Trio

Acoustics are poor as the music must be amplified. M—137 is clearly not suitable for serious indoor concerts.

On the Prescott side of the mountain, the College prints, distributes, and mails a 20 page 4-color professionally designed booklet that contains the entire 2014-15 concert season. This information goes out well before the season begins. No similar effort is made in the Verde Valley. The Verde events are held with minimal notice and appear to be selected on an ad hoc basis.

Millions of dollars have been spent on the College theatre on the Prescott campus, which now rivals a New York theatre. Recently, the seating was replaced and the inside renovated at a cost to taxpayers of hundreds of thousands of dollars to improve site lines. The total renovation cost to the Prescott dinner theatre is at least $5 million dollars. There is nothing remotely like the Prescott theatre on the Verde campus and no effort is being made by the College to provide one for the Verde Valley.

All in all, the College is presenting a series of cultural programs on an ad hoc basis in a setting that discourages most residents from attending; even if they knew about them.