When
Teresa Summe-Haas was 16 years old, she started a ballet school in the basement of her Northern Kentucky home, which she successfully led for about 25 years.
And when it was time to find a space to perform, she rented
Cincinnati Memorial Hall for her students’ recitals.
“I fell in love with it—it was just beautiful,” Summe-Haas says. “Everyone would walk in and talk about the building. It’s a historical treasure, and I think it’s just breathtaking.”
This past February, Summe-Haas returned to the building—this time as Memorial Hall’s executive director. Though in a different capacity, she’ll again work to bring the arts into people’s lives through the more than 100-year old architectural landmark.
Summe-Haas says her first goal is to bring more arts productions to the facility.
“With
Music Hall,
Washington Park and
SCPA, this is a very strong arts district,” she says. “I want to try to make the arts available to as many people as possible and really unite and bring that excitement back to the community.”
The Hall is regularly used by groups like the
Cincinnati Boychoir and the
Queen City Concert Band, and upcoming events include the
MusicNOW Festival and
IgniteCincinnati; but Summe-Haas’ vision is to fill the building with as many people as possible, on as many occasions as possible. Preferably with at least 10 events per month.
Though she just began her role as executive director a month ago, Summe-Haas has big ideas. She says there’s the possibility for a future signature series which would incorporate monthly features and performances for everything from ballet to chamber music. And she says she’d also love to utilize the building in its entirety, after renovations, by potentially turning the quaint and cozy attic with its old train rails on the sides, into a coffee or wine bar.
“It’s nice to walk into the gorgeous foyer and then go upstairs to the Parkview Room, utilize that for a reception and then go into the theater for a performance or a lecture, then come back down to the Green and Gold rooms for a dinner or buffet or additional networking, and then maybe finish the evening off with going up to the attic for coffee or wine,” Summe-Haas says. "It just lends itself to make it an entire day event. Being here just brings back my goal of reintroducing Memorial Hall to the community and to establish the arts in as many people’s lives as I can touch.”
Do Good:
• Keep up with Memorial Hall's
events calendar, and attend a production.
•
Preserve the Hall by getting involved and donating.
•
Rent the space for a performance, wedding, lecture, reception or corporate event.
By Brittany York
Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.