The Berglund Center is one of those gems that make the City of Roanoke a Star City. It's a…read moremulti-purpose venue that feeds the soul of our community. And the Berglund Performing Arts Theatre in the Center, with 2,150 seats, is one of my favorite places to go for entertainment in this City. Some might call it old, and some might call it small, but to me it's just perfect, since like wine, I feel its gotten better with time, and the community has gotten to know and appreciate it, as well as love it, because the performances played their have enriched their lives.
This Holiday Season, as soon as the tickets to the Nutcracker went on sale, I made sure to purchase one ticket, for a front row center seat, to better appreciate the performance, since this year it's the 35th Anniversary of the Nutcracker being performed at the Berglund Center by the Southwest Virginia Ballet. This year it was being presented with a live orchestra, the Virginia's Blue Ridge Orchestra conducted by Dr. Wayne Gallops. And would have new choreography from the new Artistic Director, Laurence Blake.
Sometimes when we talk about the Berglund Center, we don't realize that it is more than just the building structure, and we don't give enough credit to the employees and volunteer who play a great role in all of the performances there. They are one of the most welcoming, friendliest, and helpful group of individuals you can think of. This year I also got a VIP tour of the Center and since the day of this performance they were also having the parade downtown, I ended up receiving a personal tour and had the privilege of chatting on the stage with the founder of the Southwest Virginia Ballet as well as with the new Artistic Director of the Ballet.
The Arts, in whatever form, is the soul of the people in the community. I highly recommend that you attend the performances here and give the Center and all those groups that perform here throughout the year, your total support. Because they enrich and bring joy to our lives, and by doing so, it gives meaning and a sense of satisfaction to theirs.