emerald arts & entertainment Wednesday, October 6, 1982
J
Atiyeh, Hults and others
r 4 open ‘magnificent’ center
as 3,000 people attend
Tophats, tails and gold lame Eugene
dressed up for an evening of glorious revelry
honoring the opening of its $22.3 million world
class Hult Center for the Performing Arts
Approximately 3,000 people attended the
gala event, including a number of art enthusiasts
and critics, members of the national and local
media and a handful of celebrities
Patrons enthusiastically explored the interior
of the massive cement building, awed by its
dramatic warmth and beauty Eugeneans viewed
the center with pride, out-of-towners with ap
preciation and respect “This is magnificent,” said
one Portland man, “something Oregon, especially
Eugene, can really be proud of.”
Magnificence wasn’t confined to the Hult
Center s interior, however A magical evening of
parties and entertainment was provided for pa
trons, beginning with a wine and cheese reception
in the Eugene Conference Center. Animated
conversations were held within small groups of
well-dressed people, while state and local poli
ticians campaigned discreetly among them.
At 7:30 p.m , a large excited crowd gathered
around the front steps of the Hult Center for the
official ribbon-cutting ceremony. Depression era
songs played by the band Tattoo provided an
impromptu bacnground for the ceremony. Gov.
Vic Atiyeh, Eugene mayor Gus Keller, arts patrons
Nils and Jewel Hult, John and Betty Soreng,
Carolyn Silva Chambers and their families used
gigantic cardboard scissors to cut a large red
ribbon tied around the building.
With the building officially opened, Keller
shouted “Let's go see what we bought!" and led
the way inside Patrons were greeted at the door
by members of the Eugene Chamber of Com
merce with a handshake and a "Welcome to the
Hult Center for the Performing Arts.”
Concert goers milled about inside, unwilling
to leave the cavernous lobby They examined the
fine ceramics on the walls, conversed and anx
iously tried to see and be seen.
Reporters had the oportunity to interview
Pleasant Hill author Ken Kesey, Emmy-award
winning author/composer Mason Williams of
Eugene, Gov. Atiyeh and a many of the other
prominent persons present. Outside, Tattoo con
tinued to play "protest” rock and 1930s music.
One inebriated tuxedo-wearer danced a carefree
rhumba to a particularly lively piece.
Fifteen minutes before showtime, the theater
doors were opened to reveal what had thus far
been concealed from the public. Especially eye
catching were the basket-weave walls and ceiling
of the 2,531-seat Silva Concert Hall and the warm,
dark colors of the 515-seat Soreng Theatre.
The Silva Concert Hall, subject of so much
media attention, was designed to provide high
quality acoustics in an attractive setting. Many of
its features serve both purposes, including varied
surfaces within the hall which add texture and
richness to its appearence and the horseshoe
shaped balconies which provide the audience a
good view from anywhere in the hall. A com
plicated computerized audio system is capable of
providing an acoustically perfect performance for
any kind of music.
The Eugene Symphony formally inaugurated
the hall with an original piece by Portland com
poser Thomas Svoboda, the stirring "Eugene
Overture,” written especially for the occasion.
The composer viewed the performance from his
seat in the balcony.
Highlighting the two-hour program was the
outstanding performance of mezzo-soprano Ma
rilyn Horne, who captivated the audience with a
variety of serious and light pieces.
Following her inauguration of the hall, Horne
praised the concert hall and later inaugurated the
backstage wall as well, writing “Whoopee!! I got to
be here on the 'Big Night!' Thanks and love,
Marilyn Horne."
Master of Ceremonies, David Ogden Stiers,
recited Shakespeare soliloquies, with the explan
ation that it would be “inconceivable” the evening
should end without music of another sort. Stiers,
who graduated from North Eugene High School in
1960 and attended the University for two terms, is
best known for his role in M*A*S*H as Major
Charles Emerson Winchester — a role written
exclusively for him.
Howard Hesseman, Dr. Johnny Fever on
“WKRP in Cincinatti" and himself a homegrown
Salem boy, was the master of ceremonies for the
Soreng Theatre’s debut performance, the “River
boat Ragtime Revue,” a foot-stomping rendition
of a Gay ‘90s riverboat show. Despite such tech
nical difficulties as a malfunctioning sound system
and the sale of tickets for a nonexistent row I, the
revue was exciting and generally well received
Following the shows, nearly 500 people at
tended a catered champagne supper with per
formers and dignitaries in the Eugene Conference
Center.
The Hult Center's grand opening was, indeed,
a night to remember. Stated simply by a visitor
from Scottsdale, Ariz., it was "Extraordinary!”
Story by Lisa Laurs
Photos by Mark Pynes
and Jonathan Siegle