Pitch perfect partnerships at the Anderson Center
performing arts venue focuses on student engagement
Since raising their curtain for the first time in 1985, the multi-theater Anderson Center for the Performing Arts has welcomed nearly two million visitors to campus. Its productions provide students and the local community opportunities to experience cultural programming at an affordable cost.
Recently, as the Anderson Center has moved into a new era, its staff has focused on fostering more collaborative learning opportunities. New student engagement initiatives at the Anderson Center for the 2025-26 season, for example, feature several collaborations with the Music and Theatre departments.
“It is important to get students involved and engaged with professional performers,” said Marnie Wrighter, the Anderson Center’s interim director. “My vision this entire season has been: ‘What can I add to a concert that gives an opportunity to the students?’”
The first concert of the season featured the New York Voices, and three groups — the Chamber Singers, the Southern Tier Singer’s Collective and the students of three local high schools (Vestal, Union Endicott and Chenango Valley) — participated. Sixteen individuals from each group learned directly from New York Voices members in a masterclass and rehearsal; then, they were invited on stage to be part of the show.
Concert and facilities manager Robert Manners, MM ’23, spoke highly of the opportunity, and not only because he helped make it happen; he is also a member of the Southern Tier Singers Collective and performed during the event.
“Being involved in a choir shows students that they can, after graduation, continue to be involved in ensembles. We have non-major students that went on to sing with professional choirs in New York City or other parts of the state,” Manners said. “Working with a group like the New York Voices, who will hire the choral backing as they need, is showing them that there are opportunities out there. It’s an opportunity to network and meet new people.”
Students involved in the production also found it to be a worthwhile and engaging experience.
“I enjoyed navigating a new style of music and seeing this group that has been together for so long still enjoying making music together,” said Taylor Hagquist, a student who participated in the concert and is completing her master’s in choral conducting. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Next, the Michael Feinstein concert on Dec. 6, 2025, will a give a similar opportunity to musical theatre students supervised by Tommy Iafrate, associate professor and director of musical theatre and undergraduate programs. Rent in Concert, scheduled to open on Feb. 26, will have several students participating in stage and sound management, an initiative facilitated by lecturer and production stage manager Olivia O’Brien.
“These are exciting collaborations for our students: getting to meet artists, doing a Q and A with them or a workshop, potentially performing with them; it’s phenomenal,” Iafrate said. “Some performers might even be in their mid-20s, only a few years ahead of our students in their careers, and have valuable insights for our students.”
These are especially timely opportunities, considering that began offering a bachelor’s in fine arts in music theater in 2022. Ultimately, they train students to the level of what will be expected in the professional world, said Iafrate.
“For our students who want to pursue a career in the arts or perform professionally, this is a great opportunity to start seeing what that looks like,” he added. “And that’s not only by performing with somebody who’s a big, established name and putting that on your resume, but also by watching what they do and seeing what a gig looks like from a different perspective.”
Among several other scheduled items, the final opportunity for student engagement this season will come with the arrival of the Indigo Girls. Students from the Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jingqi Zhu, will collaborate and perform as full orchestral backing for the GRAMMY-winning duo.
Meanwhile, the Anderson Center itself hopes to continue reinventing itself while focusing on student needs and retaining its international and diverse focus. Wrighter believes this may come in many forms, such as a sensory-friendly show for kids, a collaboration with the African drumming class at , or even an internship for students focusing on theater management.
“A college education is so much more about the confidence that you have in yourself to say, ‘Well, they did it and I can do it too,’” Wrighter said. “’This is where they started, this is where they are now and maybe that’s where my path could go.’ Giving students a place to network, to share their talents or to learn about how their career can grow, is important.”