New Music Venue Planned in Pittsburgh

  PITTSBURGH PA - 05/04/2017 (PRESS RELEASE JET)

A major crowd funding campaign is being launched in support of a new Pittsburgh music venue. The Bridge Music Hall (The Bridge) is a non-profit, membership based music venue that will be located on Pittsburgh in late 2017.  Sites in the North Side and Shadyside are being considered. https://www.gofundme.com/thebridgemusichallpgh

The Bridge has initiated a fund-raising campaign to raise $450,000 to provide funds for infrastructure (sound system, equipment, etc.), furnishings, professional services, staff, and working capital. Several possible locations are currently being considered.  GoFundMe, naming rights, individual contributions, naming rights and grants will be requested to raise this amount.

“We’ve waited to kick off a serious fund raising campaign until we developed a very professional board of directors and a solid program”, said Angela Baughman, 1^st Vice President. “We’re pleased with our progress in developing a very professional community based performing arts organization”, Baughman continued.

“We would like to be located on the North Side in the Garden Theater”, said “Nick” Nichols, board chair.  It’s been an unsafe eyesore for too many decades”, Nichols continued. “We would restore the cultural aspects of the theater which opened in 1915. By being located in the Garden Theater, we could also help assist with the development of the Federal & North area by attracting thousands of audience members to our performances”, Nichols concluded.

“The Allegheny City Central Association voted unanimously to support our efforts to locate in the Garden Theater, at their April membership meeting” said Joseph Kennedy, IV, Vice Chair of The Bridge.

“We’ve had several productive meetings with TREK Development Group, owner of the Garden Theater, said board member, Ahmad Ghazvnai. “We are looking forward to negotiating a mutually beneficial agreement”, he continued. “A location in Shadyside is also being considered if there are no North Side options”, he continued.

According to Alexander “Nick” Nichols, Chair of the Board of Directors for the Bridge, Board of Directors, “The Bridge is dedicated to the presentation, preservation, and promotion of music and related arts in a uniquely appealing and financially sustainable way, and will provide a welcoming atmosphere for everyone to listen to, learn about, perform, and share music”. Nichols also notes that The Bridge “will provide a high quality listening room environment where both audience and performers can intimately interact and share in the rich legacy of American music”.”

As a performance venue, The Bridge will be unique in Pittsburgh. It will be an intimate 250seat “cabaret-style” listening room providing an eclectic variety of music not normally available in any other Western PA music venue. Classical, blues, jazz, folk, gospel, bluegrass, zydeco, klezmer, ethnic, Americana, indie, country and world genres will all be featured. The Bridge will present shows by national and international touring artists as well as Pittsburgh area artists up to six days per week. In addition to music, comedy, poetry and lectures will also be featured. The diversity of entertainment programming will serve as a bridge to connect people and communities.  

Close to half of all performance will feature Pittsburgh professional musicians which currentlt have limited venues in which to play. National and internationally performers will be scheduled from a ver

As a community-based performing arts center, The Bridge will enhance and promote community development by involving residents in all aspects of its development and operation. The Bridge will also offer programs such as “DayTime NightClub” to provide music for those who are unable or unwilling to attend evening performances.

As an educational venue, the Bridge will provide a forum for local professional musicianstocollaborateonnewworksandcreativeensemblegroupings.Young musicians aspiring to a professional career will be provided with both mentoring and performance opportunities.

As a therapeutic venue, The Bridge will provide Bridge’s Music Therapy, in partnership with area certified music therapists. Bridge’s Music Therapy will provide services to youth and adults with developmental challenges including autism, individuals with vision and hearing impairments, people with brain injury, and individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia. This program will partner with local university music therapy programs whenever possible. 

The Bridge is the brainchild of Rich Dieter who has 40 years experience working with community-based nonprofit organizations in Chicago, New England, and Western PA. He is a life-long musician with a degree in music from Valparaiso University. He established a Chicago live music club featuring top folk, blues and jazz artists, and operated an artist management agency.

The Bridge website is www.thebridgemusichallpgh.org.