The mission of the Academy of Music is to enrich greater Northampton’s quality of life by offering first-class performing arts and film presentations in a historic theatre of national significance, and encouraging the use of the venue for social, educational and professional events; the Academy of Music seeks a broad and diverse audience through its programming and outreach efforts.
The Academy of Music building is owned by the City of Northampton, which received the deed in 1892 from former owner and builder Edward H.R. Lyman. The Academy of Music, Inc., is the operating entity for the building, and it is an independent, private, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization governed by a Board of Trustees. The Northampton Mayor and Smith College President serve on the board, as was Lyman’s wish. The other board members are volunteers who have an interest in the performing arts, in the continued vitality of the City of Northampton, or who have special expertise related to the Academy’s operations.
Our Commitment
The Academy of Music Theatre is committed to supporting our community and taking actions that increase equity and inclusion in our organization and the community.
The arts have always been an important vehicle for people to express and understand diverse perspectives and experiences. Equally important, art can be an agent for change with the ability to shine the spotlight on social inequities.
As a venue for the arts, we seek to sustain an inclusive and equitable space where everyone who walks through our doors feels valued and respected. We recognize that strength comes from diversity, and will work to ensure that patrons, artists, employees, volunteers, vendors/promoters, and community partners feel welcome regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, age, ability, religion or other identities.
The Academy recognizes that the path to equity and inclusion is long and steep. We hope that together we can achieve a deeper understanding of prejudice and its impacts to create a better, stronger and more just world. As an organization and as individuals, we need to listen more, and more carefully, to put our collective energy and vision toward uprooting racism, sexism, violence and hate and their destructive legacies.
We will strive to ensure that all voices are heard and shared in a safe environment. We will continually seek opportunities to engage, learn, and discuss topics related to this essential work in order to build a stronger theatre by ensuring that programs and institutional policies reflect our values.
“I’ll tell you what freedom is to me: no fear. I mean, really, no fear.” Nina Simone
Artistic Guidelines
The Academy of Music is a values based, non-discriminatory 501c3 organization with the mission enriching the Pioneer Valley’s quality of life by offering first class performing arts and film presentations in a historic theatre of national significance. The Academy of Music Theatre seeks the use of the venue for social, educational, and professional events, and to serve a broad and diverse audience through its programming.
In order to carry out this mission, an artistic vision of the Academy of Music includes these goals:
- To nurture and sustain community-based organizations and causes that address the needs, concerns and hopes of the Pioneer Valley to serve the widest audience possible while benefiting said organizations and causes.
- To identify less recognized local and regional performing arts organizations with potential to contribute to the cultural landscape of the Pioneer Valley. To guide and nurture those organizations toward successful projects at the Academy of Music by strategizing optimal costs, using creative solutions to work with other organizations, maximizing impact, building audiences, and networking with like minded arts groups.
- To identify and present globally and nationally recognized events that address ideas, concerns and hopes that resonate in our community. To affiliate these works of a global/national stature with the work of community based, organizations with the goal of challenging and inspiring audiences with powerful and transformative work.
- To determine underserved audiences and new audiences that have not yet been developed and craft programming that serves those audiences. Potential area of growth: dance, education, new work, LGBTQ+ work, and BiPoc work.
- To identify organizations that have a history in our community of creating performing arts of merit in the Pioneer Valley, to invite them to be resident companies, and to provide a home, support, guidance, and consultation to them. To guide and nurture those organizations toward successful projects at the Academy of Music by strategizing optimal costs, using creative solutions to work with other organizations, maximizing impact, and building audiences. To enhance and clarify the branding of the Academy of Music by educating the public that resident companies provide the family within the household of the Academy, and that supporting the Academy supports the resident companies.
- To produce and present educational programming that offers the opportunity to explore the creative process in a safe and nurturing environment while meeting each child where he, she, they are in their development regardless of experience or ability. To provide a performance home for a variety of performing arts educators and organizations locally, regionally, nationally, and globally.