Shining Light on Our Community
This time of year, late winter, can be a dark time. But at The Music Hall, we are fortunate to have The Lighting Center at Rockingham Electric to illuminate our scene. Our friends at The Lighting Center are responsible for many of the fixtures that light our spaces, including that gorgeous chandelier that brings glamour and drama to the Historic Theater. They’ve also been brightening our days by supporting The Music Hall in a multitude of ways since 2004: as a Series Sponsor of our Intimately Yours concerts, the Premier Sponsor of our Kitchen Tour fundraiser, and a regular contributor to our efforts to restore, enhance, and sustain our buildings.
Folks have been forced to make difficult decisions about how to use their resources these past few months. That makes us even more grateful to those of you like Jim Pender, President of The Lighting Center, who, recognizing the value of constancy, found a way to continue his support for The Music Hall. We talked with Jim about how his team, like us, is working to emerge from this crisis a better, stronger organization ready to contribute to the renewed vibrancy of our region.
You are so committed to The Music Hall and the Seacoast arts community. What motivates this commitment?
As a family, we’ve watched the transformation and growth of The Music Hall through the years. Our love for music, combined with having an amazing facility right in our backyard, has always kept us committed. It is so nice to have this great facility to support the arts and the Seacoast arts community.
We are so grateful for your consistent support of The Music Hall, especially during a pandemic. Can you tell us more about your reason for doing so?
I’ve said it before, simply stated, being part of the amazing artistic community on the Seacoast that The Music Hall family has created is top of the list. Beyond that, the incredible list of committed corporate sponsors and donors is one we are proud to be on.
The past year inspired us to get creative. How has The Lighting Center adapted? We see you have a fantastic new website!
Just prior to early 2020, we made the commitment to strengthening our online catalog and bettering the user experience for customers. We were able to fast-track our process and now have a new website with online shopping. Our showroom is still open to customers and our designers are still actively engaged and available, but this gives customers the option to browse and purchase from the comfort of their own home.
It’s easy to purchase a ticket online, but top-notch, personal service distinguishes organizations like the Lighting Center and The Music Hall. Do you think the personal touch will retain its value following the current crisis?
I absolutely do. Because lighting is based on one’s personal style and preferences, there is a certain level of emotional commitment to the purchase. The Lighting Center has a long-standing tradition of reliability and dedication from our expert staff and designers…solely based on the personal touch that they are able to offer.
We’ve worked hard to creatively adapt to our situation, introducing new series during the past several months. What’s been your favorite?
We were fortunate to attend the Stage Door Concert series as well as Live Under the Arch and enjoyed them both. We’re hoping that as we move into the next phase of normal, some of these great new options will stick around so we can attend more shows.