NPAC to mark 5th anniversary with Gala

NPAC information

Five years ago the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio opened its doors for a variety of concerts and shows ranging from legendary and new artists to Broadway hits and classics. The Van Wert Area Performing Arts Foundation, staff of the Niswonger Performing Arts Center and its multitude of volunteers would like to invite area residents to join in “Celebrating Five Years of Entertainment, Inspiration and Education” September 14-15.

A Gala V Celebration weekend has been planned with a special dinner at the Willow Bend Country Club on Friday evening beginning with a social time at 5 p.m. followed by dinner at 5:30. Special guests will include the featured speaker for the evening, motivational speaker, paraplegic Gold Medalist athlete and Irish Tenor, Ronan Tynan along with those instrumental in creating and building the Niswonger Performing Arts Center.

After dinner, the NPAC will present the featured event of the evening at the NPAC: “An Evening with Ronan Tynan.” Tynan will share excerpts of his life as a physician who specializes in orthopedic sports injuries, an avid horseman, traveling the world with the Irish Tenors, his own solo engagements at various sporting events from Yankee Stadium, the Belmont Stakes and Buffalo Sabres games, from engagements including Ronald Reagan’s funeral and George H.W. Bush’s birthday and much, much more. Tynan is one of the most sought after motivational speakers in the U.S., presenting nearly 50 speeches annually for major international corporations and organizations.

On Saturday, September 15, the Gala V Concert will feature Ronan Tynan’s famous tenor voice, backed by the Lima Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Crafton Beck. Tynan won both the John McCormack Cup for Tenor Voice and BBC talent show “Go For It” less than one year after beginning the study of voice. The following year, he won the International Operatic Singing Competition in Maumarde, France, made his operatic debut as Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, and cut his teeth on the concert repertoire in performances of Verdi’s Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Handel’s Messiah, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, and Puccini’s Messa di Gloria.

In 1998, Tynan joined Anthony Kearns and John McDermott (later Final Wright) as The Irish Tenors, an instant worldwide sensation.  His autobiography, Halfway Home, was published in February 2002.

Tickets for this weekend go on sale Wednesday, July 25. Tickets for dinner and the lecture are $50 per person. A portion of those proceeds will go toward the new NPAC Endowment Fund. Tickets for the lecture only are $10. Tickets for Saturday’s concert are $22-$52. All tickets are available at the NPAC box office or www.npacvw.org or through Facebook. For more information, visit the NPAC website, stop in at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center Box Office during business hours, Tuesday-Friday, noon-4 p.m., at 10700 SR 118 in Van Wert, or call 419.238.NPAC (6722).