The 10x10 Series and Why I Love It!

Early in the pandemic, while we were shut down and unable to have shows, I had time to think about what programming could look like once we returned to our stages. I always come across incredible Artists, ones that I would love to present here at the Hult Center, but if the artist is new or unknown, getting people to spend money is no easy task. Myself and others on the team here spent some time dreaming of how we could accomplish bringing new and emerging Artists to our stages. This is where the idea of the 10×10 Series came from. There are other venues across the country that offer a similar series, the idea is not new (a huge thank you to my friend in Wisconsin for the inspiration and name), but it is definitely new to the Hult Center.

Not only do we want to bring emerging Artists, but we are aiming to bring more diverse voices to the Soreng Theater and to create a series that is more representative. This series has been a labor of love for me to program. We have the ability to book Artists that I wouldn’t normally be able to book thanks to a generous grant from the Nils and Jewel Hult Endowment – Arts Foundation of Western Oregon Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation. This grant allowed us to start this series when we were only able to have 50 people in attendance and allows us to continue without the financial risk of starting a new series.

Supporting new Artists has always been important to me throughout my career, it however comes with a financial risk, shows are supported by ticket sales and new Artists don’t generate the same amount of ticket sales as a well-established Artist does. Due to that risk, without the grant funding we would not have been able to start this series and continue with it.

We are committed to the 10×10 Series now and are so excited to watch it grow and thrive. I personally hope it helps us bring in new patrons to the Hult Center and helps someone find a new favorite Artist. Live performance is a precious thing, anything can happen once the lights dim on a stage and the first note is struck. The feeling one has at a live show at a particular place in time cannot be captured through watching it on screen for both the audience and the Artist and supporting the Artists that create the music is vitally important more now than ever.

It is my hope that the 10×10 Series continues to grow and thrive and that each show becomes a can’t miss event. That someone takes a chance to see an Artist they have never heard of and walks away with a new favorite Artist they continue to support for years to come. The risk is low on this series with tickets only being $10, so take a chance, come see an Artist you have never heard of, there are some really great ones coming up.

See you there,

Vicki Infinito (Director of Programming & Booking)