Written by Kyle MacMillan. Photo by Anthony Vazquez.
Make University of Chicago Presents more innovative, inclusive and interdisciplinary and more connected to other facets of the university and the city beyond. That was Sarah Curran’s aim when she took over in June as executive director of the classically based music series.
UChicago Presents “is rooted in what we know of as Western classical music, but even from the beginning it had an edginess to it,” she said.
“And maybe in terms of reputation, that got lost somewhere along the way. But I think we can restore that and restore a sense of excitement and energy around it,” added Curran, a California native who grew up on the East Coast and got to know Chicago’s culture scene when she did a yearlong fellowship here right after college.
After graduating from Princeton (N.J.) University in 2002 with a major in religion and minors in theater and dance, she came to Chicago and helped organize a performing arts department at North Lawndale College Prep High School on the West Side. She also served as a volunteer coordinator at the Chicago Humanities Festival, and worked at Genesis House, which assisted women involved in sex work.
“I got to know the real city,” she said of her time in Chicago. “It definitely staked a claim in my heart. I always thought I would come back here at some point.”
Read the full article in the Chicago Sun-Times here.