Change in Leadership at The Purchase PAC

Purchase College announced last week that Seth Soloway, Director of the Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, will be leaving Purchase to become the Associate Dean for Presenting and External Relations at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University.

The exact date of Soloway’s departure from Purchase has yet to be determined, but he will be assisting with the hand-off of operations. An interim leadership plan for The PAC is being developed. All spring 2021 events and initiatives will proceed as planned.

“My role at Purchase College has been the great honor of my career,” says Soloway. “I was part of so many amazing moments. Personal highlights include the renovating of The PepsiCo Theater, our 40th Anniversary Gala, and The PAC winning ArtsWestchester’s Arts Award. More than anything I have been honored to work with the talented PAC team and the College to fully engage with the campus community and become ingrained in student life. We created memorable projects with Kyle Abraham, Jessica Lang/Tony Bennett, Doug Varone, many others. But more than any performance or project, what I enjoyed most and will miss most are the people — the entire PAC team, campus colleagues, the PCF Board, PAC Advisory Council, donors, and audiences.”

Seth Soloway joined Purchase College as The PAC’s Programming Manager in 2014. Upon the retirement of Harry McFadden in 2016, Soloway was appointed Interim Director and promoted to Director in 2018. During his tenure, he transformed the philosophy of The PAC. While the presenting series remained a key focus, there was an increased focus on campus and community engagement. Featured artists were invited to serve in long-term residencies as on-campus fellows, developing new work on-site and providing training and creative inspiration for students, faculty, and the broader community.

In his new position, Soloway will be responsible for the administration and management of Blair’s presenting spaces. He will also teach courses in arts management and theatre, as well as direct for the Department of Theatre.

THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, PURCHASE COLLEGE (The PAC), a four-theatre complex, is the major professional, non-profit arts presenter in the Southeastern New York–Southwestern Connecticut region.

While the stages as The PAC have been dark since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The PAC continues to present a broad range of virtual events and content that inspires, engages, and sparks critical conversations through their The PAC in Your Living Room initiative.

Learn more at: https://www.artscenter.org/arts-in-education/the-pac-in-your-living-room/

PURCHASE COLLEGE, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY, is located 28 miles northeast of New York City at the Connecticut border. The College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY), is an institution of public higher education encompassing the liberal arts and sciences, professional training in the performing and visual arts, continuing education, the Neuberger Museum of Art, and The Performing Arts Center.

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