YOUNG AUDITORIUM DIRECTOR KOHBERGER TO SPEAK TO MUSIC BUSINESS STUDENTS

Sherman Marketing Specialist Ph: 262 472-5705 Fx: 262 472-4400 Email: ShermanS@uww.edu Date: April 17, 2015 Young Auditorium Director to Speak to Students about Concert Production and

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Stacy P Sherman

Marketing Specialist Ph: (262) 472-5705

Fx: (262) 472-4400 Email: ShermanS@uww.edu

Date: April 17, 2015

Young Auditorium Director to Speak to Students about Concert Production

and Venue Management

WHITEWATER – Young Auditorium Director, Ken Kohberger, has been invited to be a special guest speaker at the Institute of Audio Research (IAR) School of Audio Recording and Music Business in New York on April 28, 2015 Kohberger was invited by colleague, artist manager, and class instructor, Mehmet Dede, to add real world perspective for the students in his “Concert Production and Venue Management” class

Students will be able to interact with Kohberger in their class setting, asking questions pertaining to how the Young Auditorium curates its programming Kohberger will also be giving advice for up and coming managers in the music business, discussing agent negotiating skills, and providing a short history of rock music agencies He will also discuss the differences he’s experienced working in both commercial programming and the arts programming worlds The class will also be enlightened by Kohberger’s experience working with the legendary Frank Barselona, who is considered by many to

be a pioneer in the music business

After starting in the music industry as a middle agent at Don Law Presents and as road manager for

the artists the agency managed, Kohberger was hired by New York agency, Premier Talent, which

was founded by Barselona, who quickly established it as the number one booking agency during the

“Golden Era of Rock and Roll.” Premier’s roster at that time included The Who, Bruce Springsteen,

Santana, Talking Heads, Cyndi Lauper, Patti Smith, Tom Petty, and many others It was there that

-more-Kohberger developed an extensive club circuit that helped established the career paths of many

successful music artists, including The Pretenders, Eurythmics, and U2 The concerts Kohberger

enjoyed at the iconic NY venue, Fillmore East, inspired him to become concert chair, while he

completed his undergraduate studies at SUNY Oswego During his junior and senior years, he

promoted over 20 concerts including Lou Reed, Earth, Wind & Fire, Hall & Oates, Peter Frampton, and Billy Joel.

After ten years at Premier, Kohberger’s partnership bought and ran the 750-capacity Chance Theatre

in Poughkeepsie, NY, where he produced over 175 live music concerts annually, including The Black

Crowes, Bon Jovi, and BB King After his experience running his own venue, he went back to working

as a booking agent at Associated Booking Corporation, representing R&B, Blues, Jazz, and Reggae

artists, including Anita Baker, The O’Jays, and The Wailers Live music is still Kohberger's biggest

passion

Dede and Kohberger are both members of the Midwest World Music consortium They meet annually

at the Chicago Cultural Affairs Center, where World Music arts presenters strategize programming The Young Auditorium kicks off its season in September with a free World Music concert event This year’s World Music Festival will take place on September 23, 2015

The IAR is dedicated to the art, business, and technology of audio in all its forms, serving the music, motion picture, multi-media, communications, consumer electronics, and entertainment industries, as well as other employment sectors that demand highly trained audio technicians and producers As a creative community, IAR brings to New York City a specialized curriculum for artists and scholars from around the world who share a passion for audio To learn more, visit www.audioschool.com

Over the past four decades, Kohberger has forged a unique career path, currently serving as the Director of the Young Auditorium at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Leading up to his current role, he was previously the Executive Director of The Colonial Theatre in Keene, New Hampshire where he programmed, negotiated and presented the annual season of approximately 50 live events and 300 nights of film

The Young Auditorium serves as a presenting organization for the performing arts and as an

educational and cultural center enriching the lives of regional communities, offering a full season of world-class performing arts presentations The theater is a state-of-the-art venue, with 1,300 seats

-more-and a 400 square foot stage that hosts dozens of Broadway touring productions, national -more-and

international music acts, world-renowned dance troupes, family-friendly events, classical touring theatre companies, and several University of Wisconsin-Whitewater events each year In addition to the main theater, the Young Auditorium also houses the Fern Young Terrace and Kachel Center, where special events and celebrations are never in short supply Parking is always free at the venue

To learn more, visit www.uww.edu/YoungAuditorium or follow at www.Facebook.com/Young.Aud

PHOTO CAPTION:

Ken Kohberger, Director

Young Auditorium

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