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| Kiera Zitelman Musical Arts Director seemusicalarts@umd.edu |
The 2011 fall musical arts concert will follow a long tradition of giving UMD students the opportunity to see an up-and-coming artist for little cost in a small, intimate venue, and this year is no exception. On September 21st, SEE is proud to bring Mac Miller, Casey Veggies and The Come Up to the Grand Ballroom, which has a capacity of 800 and is the largest venue in the Adele H. Stamp Student Union—Center of Campus Life. I am excited to follow in the tradition of excellent back to school shows – a list that includes a sold-out Chiddy Bang and the White Panda concert last fall and Matt & Kim in 2009.
Some students may be unaware of the distinction between SEE’s Musical Arts Director and Concerts Director. These are unique positions with different missions. The Concerts Director programs large-scale musical events, including Art Attack and a fall concert. These events are aimed at a big audience – this past May’s Art Attack XXVIII featuring Nelly, for example, sold out 8,000 available seats in Byrd Stadium. The cost of talent and production for these events is very high and consumes a huge part of SEE’s annual budget, funded in part by your student activities fee. As SEE’s Musical Arts Director, I work with a smaller budget to coordinate smaller, more intimate musical events and “provide diverse musical experiences primarily in the Stamp Student Union” (http://see.umd.edu/directors.php#musicalarts). I produce a spring and fall concert featuring professional artists, in addition to multiple opportunities for student bands throughout the year, including Battle of the Bands each April.
I am aware that many University of Maryland students are disappointed that the Back to School concert featuring Mac Miller, Casey Veggies, and The Come Up sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale at midnight on Wednesday morning. Unfortunately, we cannot offer more tickets or move the concert to a larger venue at this time. Getting an artist to play to thousands of people in a venue like Cole Field House or Byrd Stadium is in the realm of SEE’s Concerts Director, not the Musical Arts Director, and I can assure you that SEE’s Concerts Director is actively working on a concert of this larger scale for later in the semester.
Many students are requesting a new venue, primarily Cole Field House, for the concert. Though I wish I could provide more students the opportunity to see Mac Miller, it is unfortunately impossible at this point to switch venues from the Grand Ballroom. The university and the artists agreed to and signed legally binding contracts weeks ago specifying the venue and the number of tickets to be sold. Part of the reason we chose to put Mac Miller in Stamp initially is that he plays venues not much larger than the Grand Ballroom. Without agreeing to pay a substantially higher performance fee, which SEE’s musical arts budget could not have offered, he likely would not have agreed to play a venue as big as Cole. Additionally, the cost of production and venue rental fees would be too high for the musical arts budget in Cole or even the next smallest venue, Ritchie Coliseum.
SEE did anticipate the student demand for this event. The research we conducted this past spring demonstrated a high interest in Mac Miller on campus. We had a discussion about the venue size but ultimately concluded that the Grand Ballroom was the best choice for this fall musical arts concert based on the size of venues Mac Miller will be performing at during his fall tour. I personally apologize that the event sold out so quickly and that so many students were unable to get tickets. At the same time, I hope that the students who were able to get tickets enjoy the unique experience that will be Mac Miller on September 21st. I encourage UMD students to attend SEE’s upcoming fall programs, including our annual Homecoming Comedy Show next month.
I would like to thank all the students who have been respectful with their feedback so far. I am available to answer further questions at seemusicalarts@umd.edu or (301) 314-8498. Thank you.
