Volunteers keep art alive in The Woodlands

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is known for bringing an eclectic mix of entertainment to The Woodlands, with artists like Mumford & Sons, Black Sabbath and Keith Urban set to play this summer. Although the contemporary acts are always a big hit, where the Pavilion excels compared to other concert venues is through its efforts to enhance the performing arts.

The Pavilion Partners, founded in 1998, is the nonprofit organization responsible for bringing groups like the Houston Symphony, Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera to The Woodlands community, often at no cost to concert-goers.

"The Pavilion itself was founded as a nonprofit fine arts performance hall. The Pavilion Partners is our official volunteer organization," said Courtney Galle, public relations manager for the Pavilion. "It's very important to our board and the staff to be able to keep the arts alive here in The Woodlands."

Pavilion Partners—a membership-based organization of about 300 people—donate both time and money to help put on a variety of events. In addition to donating, they help run performing arts and contemporary events, as well as special events designed to promote art education, such as the annual Children's Festival.

The Partners also maintain a fine arts scholarship program. Each year, students who are either attending college or planning to attend college for the fine arts can audition for scholarship money. More than $600,000 has been awarded to students who study music, voice, theatre, dance and visual and graphic arts.

"We are providing a venue to keep the arts alive by giving the musicians a place to play, but we also want to help grow the next generation of musicians," said Leslie Williams, volunteer and special events coordinator.

The people who make up the Pavilion Partners range from retirees looking for a way to give back to the community, to young people working 40-hour weeks in addition to volunteering, Williams said.

"It's an amazing, talented group of people who understand the value of the arts and keeping the arts strong in the community," she said.

Grady Ferry and his wife, Keith Ferry, have been volunteering with Pavilion Partners in some capacity for the past 12 years.

Keith said a reliable volunteer base helps the Pavilion save money, which allows it to keep its schedule stocked with fine arts performances.

"The sheer number of hours that volunteers contribute doing things that would otherwise have to be handled by paid staff saves money that can be used to make events that much better for the community," she said.

Pavilion Partners has seen around 80 new people join this year and is actively recruiting.

"Every performing arts center has some kind of volunteer base. You couldn't do these kinds of programs without them," Galle said. "We're lucky to have passionate people working with us and to have a venue of this caliber in the community."