Bethel Woods COO Darlene Fedun Speaks at Liberty Rotary Club
On July 27th, Liberty Rotary Club was fortunate to have Chief Operating Officer at Bethel Woods, Darlene Fedun as our guest speaker. Ms. Fedun, who has been a
The mission of
Many of the goals originally set by the organization have been accomplished and now they are focused on the future. Some of these goals are listed below:
a. Present innovative and captivating performances, exhibitions and programs of the highest quality.
b. To act as a leader in fostering creative expression, civic engagement, human fellowship, and entrepreneurial contributions to the public good.
c. To be a premier authority of the history of the 1960s and have transformative impact on the world.
d. To attract a broad and diverse audience that fills the houses to optimal capacity throughout the year.
e. To enjoy international following and support.
Bethel Woods is a wonderful venue and considered one of the best in our country. It consists of over 2000 acres that are beautiful and create a park like setting. The Pavilion stage was voted the best major concert venue in 2006. The venue is rated number 39 of top 100 worldwide amphitheaters. The museum won a MUSE for excellence in video production in 2008. Bethel Woods has been and will be a venue for many great artists including Elton John, Tim McGraw, Santana, The Boston Pops, Dave Matthews, Sting, CSNY, Brad Paisley, and many more. More intimate concerts are held at the Event Gallery and have included well known acts such as Leon Redbone, Marc Cohn, Los Lonely boys, Eileen Ivers and others. In addition, the center has provided great world music from African to Arabian to Native American.
This organization has played a major role in revitalizing the region. The following are some statistics on the money brought into the region and jobs provided: $189.29 million in construction, $63.45 million from operations 2009, 1556 jobs created in construction and operation, 220,000 visitors.
In addition to concerts, Bethel Woods also does the following.
a. Sponsors the Harvest Festival.
b.
Maintains the
c. Provides School Programs
d. Presents an Annual Speaker Series
e. Shows a Seasonal Film Series, World Stage Series and Young Artist Series
f. Gives opportunities to Summer interns
Future goals for Bethel Woods include:
a. Hosting summer camps.
b. Showcasing singer songwriters in intimate settings
c. Introducing new musical programming
d. Creating cultural and social opportunities
e. Offering weekend workshops
f. Developing programs for the arts in a free society
g. Launching a Fellows program to provide opportunities to promote social change through the arts.
h. Facilitating a Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative to keep our youth in the area
Building Strong Partnerships is important to this institution. Currently Bethel Woods is collaborating with creative minds from The Manhattan School of Music, Delaware Valley Opera, JazzReach, and Back Country Jazz. They also facilitate professional connections through The Cooperstown Graduate Program. Additionally workshops in teaching American history provide a professional development program for teachers. Links to the Smithsonian Institution also lead to programming and educational outreach.
Some final initiatives of Bethel Woods are to engage an international council of artists and others to support their mission and to expand volunteer leadership in sustaining the growth and development of Bethel Woods.
It was an honor having Ms. Fedun speak at our meeting. The membership seemed to be universal in their appreciation of the information Darlene provided as well as the contribution that the center provides to our region. We thank her and hope she will come back and visit in the future.