No, it’s not a new e-mail address or a dot-com business. Vanderbilt@TPAC @Vanderbilt@TPAC is a new initiative that unites the intellectual resources of Nashville’s premier educational institution with the cultural flair of the city’s leading performing arts organization under a strategic partnership announced recently by the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and Vanderbilt.

The two institutions have a long history of collaboration on performances and special events, such as Vanderbilt’s Great Performances series and Fest de Ville Nashville, TPAC’s downtown festival. As part of the new partnership, TPAC and Vanderbilt will work together on a wide range of educational, cultural and marketing programs that will enhance the performing arts in Nashville.

“Vanderbilt and TPAC are two pillars of the performing arts in Nashville,” said Chancellor Gordon Gee. “Building a bridge between us creates unparalleled opportunities for both entertainment and education. This will be a long-lasting and substantive partnership that will benefit the community in a number of ways.”

“Our partnership with Vanderbilt University is one of the most interesting and exciting ventures we’ve undertaken in recent years,” said Steven Greil, TPAC’s president and chief executive officer. “By working together, by pooling our artistic and educational resources, we can provide more benefits to our current constituents and expand our outreach to the entire Nashville community. This is a strong, creative collaboration that builds on our longstanding relationship and officially opens the doors for new opportunities in education and the performing arts.”

The first program under the Vanderbilt@TPAC@Vanderbilt@ TPAC banner will be a new lunchtime learning series, “InsideOut of the (Lunch) Box,” spotlighting the arts in a new and unusual way.

Following up on the success of the continuing “Thinking Out of the (Lunch) Box” series of lectures with a philosophical flair at the Nashville Public Library, the new series will provide a glimpse of the performing arts, artists and the artistic process from the inside out.

The acoustically superior War Memorial Auditorium at Legislative Plaza will provide the stage for performance and discussion in a convenient and relaxed atmosphere. A box lunch will be provided free of charge to the first 300 people who sign up. Others are welcome as space permits.

The series kicks off Feb. 27 with an exploration of African influences in contemporary American choreography and composition with the innovative original work, LAPseDANCE. The panel will include Stan Link, LAPseDANCE composer and assistant professor of philosophy and analysis of music at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music; Robert Philander, LAPseDANCE choreographer and faculty member of the School of Nashville Ballet; and Tasneem Grace Tewogbola, features writer for The Tennessean and a student of West African dance. Mark Wait, dean of Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music, will moderate the discussion.

On March 20, David Grapes, artistic producing director of the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, and Terryl Hallquist, director of the Vanderbilt University Theatre, will present “Shakespeare: In and Out of Love.” They will be joined by actors from The Rep who will perform an excerpt from The Taming of the Shrew, scheduled for TPAC’s Polk Theater, March 11-23.

The season will conclude on April 10 when Bill Ivey, Branscomb Scholar at Vanderbilt and former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, will take a look at how the arts are funded in America, examining the evolution of support for community-based arts and arts organizations.

For each event, lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. followed by a brief presentation at noon with questions from the audience to follow. Because of space limitations, reservations are required for the “InsideOut of the (Lunch) Box” series. For reservations, call 322-8585 or e-mail tpac@vanderbilt.edu.

Other programs planned as part of Vanderbilt@TPAC@Vanderbilt@ TPAC include:

• A return of TPAC Summer Institute for Teachers to the Vanderbilt campus. One of the most successful arts-in-education teacher development programs in the region, the Summer Institute for the Arts will be held at the Blair School of Music and will involve faculty and staff from throughout Vanderbilt;
• Online discount ticket sales programs offering to the Vanderbilt community up to 20 percent off of ticket prices for major TPAC and Rep performances;
• Joint marketing efforts for music and theatrical performances at TPAC and in the many venues on the Vanderbilt campus;
• Educational mini-performances and master classes with visiting artists for Vanderbilt students and members of the community.

Posted 2/26/03 at 10 a.m.