August 3, 2021
Contact: Craig Mohre
craigmohre@newalbanyfoundation.org
614.939.8150
Additional opening events include a benefit concert featuring Leslie Odom, Jr., and a performance bu the New Albany Symphony Orchestra
(New Albany, Ohio) The Charleen & Charles Hinson Amphitheater is the newest performance venue and community gathering space made possible through public and private collaboration. This successful approach has produced other important civic buildings in New Albany, such as the New Albany Branch Library and The Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts.
Located at 170 W. Granville Street in New Albany, the amphitheater is situated along the recently completed Rose Run Park Corridor and is contiguous to the New Albany School campus. Construction began last year and will be completed later this summer.
“It is fantastic to now have this venue in the heart of town right next to the McCoy Center, our school campus, library, Rose Run Park, and the Heit Center,” said New Albany Mayor Sloan Spalding. “All of these buildings support our community pillars of lifelong learning, the arts, health and the environment, and this facility will allow us to greatly expand our arts offerings to our residents.”
“The community is buzzing with anticipation about the opening of this beautiful new facility,” said Craig Mohre, President of The New Albany Community Foundation. “Residents can imagine themselves in the amphitheater on warm summer evenings enjoying everything from live performances to classic films. We look forward to seeing the many ways the community embraces the amphitheater, and we are grateful to those who made it possible. It’s another illustration of what can be accomplished through generosity and collaboration.”
In celebration of the amphitheater’s upcoming debut, several celebrations are planned:
Amp Up the Arts: The Dedication of the Charleen & Charles Hinson Amphitheater: Tuesday, August 31, 2021, at 4:30 p.m. with Performances & Food Trucks from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Members of the community are invited to attend the August 31st Dedication of the Charleen & Charles Hinson Amphitheater hosted by The New Albany Community Foundation. The Dedication is free to everyone and will include a brief program with remarks at 4:30 p.m. followed by the opening of the amphitheater gates for the very first time. From 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., there will be rotating performances onstage featuring the New Albany Symphony Orchestra, student performers, and more.
Attendees will be able to purchase dinner from a variety of central Ohio’s favorite food trucks that will be on-site from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
More details will be provided at newalbanyfoundation.org as they become available.
Additional opening events for the new venue will include:
Night at the Movies with the New Albany Symphony Orchestra: September 10, 2021, from
7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Luis Biava will conduct the New Albany Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in its 2021-2022 season-opening program on September 10th at the new Hinson Amphitheater. “Night at the Movies” will feature some of the silver screen’s most famous soundtracks. The music of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, West Side Story, Titanic, and more will delight audiences of all ages.
Gates will open at 6:30 p.m. for picnicking and the concert will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $23 for a student/senior and $25 for general admission. Ticket sale date, table sales, and more information will be available in the coming weeks at newalbanysymphony.com
An Evening with Leslie Odom, Jr.: Thursday, September 23, 2021, at 6:30 p.m.
The New Albany Community Foundation will host a benefit featuring Leslie Odom, Jr. with proceeds benefiting the amphitheater. Guests will be treated to a picnic dinner with libations under the stars culminating in a performance by the Academy Award nominee, Tony, and Grammy Winner, Leslie Odom, Jr.
Thanks to the enthusiastic response from the community, all event tables have been sold. A few lawn seats remain and can be purchased for $300 each at newalbanyfoundation.org.
Benefit sponsors include:
Performance Sponsors:
American Electric Power
The Hinson Family
Charlotte & Jack Kessler
The New Albany Company
The Razek Family
Champions for the Arts:
Atrium
George Acock/Ralph Fallon
Corna Kokosing
Facebook
Kathy & Rocky Felice
M/I Homes
The New Albany Wealth Management Group
at Morgan Stanley
Ohio Health
Oracle
TRC
Friends of the Arts:
The Dankworth Family in Honor of Shannan Dankworth
The DeBellis Family
Karen & Irv Dennis
Hinson Family Trust
Chris & Andy Kaighn
Tammy & Torsten Krings
Sue Porter & Mike Sayre
Marcy & Jonathan Schaffir
Phil La Susa & Dr. Jesse Sheldon
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
The Skasko, Snyder, Porter & Nash Families
Jane & Tim Stehle
Arts Partners:
Jan & George Anasis
Bath & Body Works
Linda & Frank Kass
Bobbi & Rob Lucas
The Archer, Brubaker & Martin Families
Pat & David Martin
Kimberly & Marc Minor
Mollard Consulting
The Nth Degree Companies
Lynne & Steve Smith
Steiner + Associates
Seanna & Matt Walter
The Wilson Family
Details on the featured performer:
LESLIE ODOM, JR. is a multifaceted, award-winning vocalist, songwriter, author, and actor. With a career that spans all performance genres, he has received recognition with Tony and Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards, and most recently, two Academy Award nominations for his excellence and achievements in Broadway, television, film, and music.
Odom currently stars and performs the songs of legendary singer Sam Cooke in the critically acclaimed Amazon film adaptation of the Olivier Award-nominated play, One Night in Miami, directed by Regina King. His portrayal of the soul icon has been met with widespread praise and critical acclaim, earning him nominations for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics’ Choice Award, Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards, among others. King also enlisted Odom to write, compose and perform the film’s original song, “Speak Now,” for which he was nominated for an Oscar and has since earned him a Critics’ Choice Award and several other award nominations.
Odom has released four highly lauded studio albums, including two holiday records and his chart-topping, self-titled debut. He has performed at the White House, Super Bowl, and on hallowed stages such as Lincoln Center, Rockefeller Center, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
In 2018, he published his first book, Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning. Odom can also be heard voicing the character of ‘Owen Tillerman’ in the Apple TV+ animated musical-comedy series Central Park, for which he received a 2020 Emmy nomination, as well as captivating audiences as ‘Aaron Burr’ in the filmed musical performance of the original Broadway production of Hamilton released in 2020 on Disney+.
His other upcoming projects include The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to David Chase’s Award-winning HBO series The Sopranos set to be released this Fall, and Needle in A Timestack written and directed by John Ridley. Additional film and television credits include the limited series Love in the Time of Corona, Harriet, Murder on the Orient Express, Only, Red Tails and Smash.
Background on the Charleen & Charles Hinson Amphitheater
New Albany planners have envisioned an outdoor amphitheater for more than 20 years. In 2012, The New Albany Community Foundation launched an effort to build the amphitheater in the emerging cultural district in the heart of New Albany’s historic village center, along the Rose Run Park Corridor and near the Market Street district. The amphitheater location also is part of the school campus, next to The Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts. The amphitheater follows the same public and private collaboration model as The McCoy, which debuted in 2008 and today hosts hundreds of school and community events each year.
The amphitheater project moved closer to reality when a respected New Albany family generously stepped forward to donate $600,000 toward the project. The venue has been named the Charleen & Charles Hinson Amphitheater in honor of this support.
Charlie Hinson was a longtime associate of Limited Brands, having helped grow the business from a single location at Kingsdale Shopping Center in Upper Arlington in 1963 to over 5,000 stores during his 38-year career.
Charleen and Charlie Hinson built their home in New Albany in 1992. Although Charlie passed in 2004, Char still lives in the home they created together. Several of their children also chose to make New Albany home and raise their families here.
The Hinson family was inspired by the enriching opportunities that the amphitheater will bring to New Albany and the surrounding community. They were particularly motivated by the fact that resident arts groups, such as the New Albany Symphony Orchestra, New Albany Community Chorus, New Albany Community Band, New Albany Community Playhouse, dance and ballet groups, and many student/school groups will be able to perform outdoors at this high-quality venue.
“New Albany means so much to our family and we are honored to play a small role in bringing this new civic asset to life,” said Charleen Hinson. “We cannot wait to see the creative ways in which the amphitheater will be used, not only for the enjoyment of the performing arts, but also for other gatherings that help forge an even stronger community.”
The Foundation is working with city leaders, the McCoy Center, and CAPA to develop a plan for the future, including summer programming. Concepts include hosting festivals in which programming could occur in multiple venues concurrently, such as a music festival, film festival or similar programs.
The amphitheater was also made possible by these public partners and donors:
Public Partners:
City of New Albany
Plain Township
New Albany-Plain Local Schools
Plain Township Fire Department
Donors:
Abercrombie & Fitch
American Electric Power Foundation
Axium
The H.R. Bank Family
Big Lots, Inc.
The Columbus Foundation
Georgia & John DallePezze
Facebook
Becky & Everett Gallagher
Google Cloud
The Hinson Family
Huntington
Ralph Johnson
Jackie & Ken Krebs
Marie-Luise & Michael Marx
The New Albany Community Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
Sandy Raines & Ron Cadieux
The Redgrave Family
Ellen & David Ryan
Nickolas Savko & Sons, Inc.
State of Ohio
Linda & Scott Taylor
Turner Construction Company
The Wexner Family
In-Kind Contributors:
Barnes & Thornburg
Cooke Demers LLC
Corna Kokosing Construction Company
EMH&T
Geotechnical Consultants, Inc.
Hinson Ltd Public Relations
Ruscilli Construction
Andy Walther
Tree Sponsors:
Erin & Hans Schell
In loving memory of Barbara LeVeque
The amphitheater was designed by DLR Group and is being built by Corna Kokosing Construction Company. Construction and other photographs of the venue can be accessed HERE.
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