Joseph R. Olefirowicz
35 Newbury Street
Nashua, NH 03060
City of Nashua Board of Aldermen
City Hall
Nashua, NH 03060
(per e-mail)
Feb, 12, 2020
Dear Board of Aldermen,
My name is Joseph R. Olefirowicz. Perhaps the name is recognizable from recent comments on
Facebook regarding the PAC project, which have been further distributed in a recent Union
Leader article addressing concerns about the PAC and its concept.
lama Nashua resident since 2008, and since this relocation from Europe to Nashua: am the
Minister of Music of The First Church (UCC) of Nashua, Artistic Director of the First Music
Concert Series also in Nashua, and a freelance conductor and concert artist here and abroad,
working in the genres of Musical Theatre, Opera, Ballet, Symphonic, Classical, Pops, Choral and
Jazz music. As well, | ama trained theatrical lighting designer from four years of study at Ithaca
College in New York State (prior to VariLites and CAD becoming the norm), learning this
concurrently with my degree in Direction for the Musical Stage. — Essentially, a theatre kid at
heart. With now a career at the console and on the podium.
It is wonderful that Nashua wishes to enhance the Arts in the city and help boost support of
Downtown with a Performing Arts Center. However, as this project has now developed, and
unfortunately has been honed down from its original vision: what you have now on the docket,
for a heckuva lot of money, is NOT a PAC. It is a very expensive event center with theatrical
elements. However, it is no-where near capable of accommodating most of the traditional
“oerforming arts” ina larger scale already in the City: community organizations such as the
ActorSingers or professional organizations like Symphony New Hampshire, which is one of the
major professional Arts organizations crucial to Nashua’s (and New Hampshire’s) identity.
Yes, studies are quoted. Studies say we need a venue of Size X. There is a management
company already eager to book the new venue with performing acts ready to use the space.
But where js the vision here? Studies say one thing, but the Arts was never built on studies.
Does one believe Picasso took a poll to see if someone would like his work? No. He painted. —
Does an opera company not try to start up ina struggling market? No. Artists energize people,
get them behind something grand and not-before-known as a need, have a vision and plant the
seed. If we only build what we know, there can never be true growth. Dream. Build. And they
will come. For this amount of money: dream BIG!
