Kathryn Bloch
Contributing Writer
Walking around campus, it is impossible not to notice posters advertising various artists and bands that will be coming to campus. Already this term, several household names have played various venues on campus, such as Pfeiffer Hall and the Wentz Concert Hall.
With artists such as Scotty McCreery and Black Violin entertaining students and the general public of Naperville alike, it is safe to say that the team at the Fine Arts center truly cares about bringing diverse talent to the North Central Campus.
Though this is certainly a team effort, there is one man in particular who is responsible for booking talent to perform at the College. This man is Brian Lynch, who defines his job title as “Fine Arts Director slash Presenter.”
Lynch spends the majority of his day in his office in the basement of the Fine Arts Center inside of Wentz Concert Hall. Walking past his office, without even having to say a single word to Lynch, it is clear to see that he is a man who truly loves what he does.
Covering the walls and his desk are memorabilia from various theatre productions: ones he has directed, acted in, as well as past productions put on by the College.
Lynch has had a long history with theatre and fine arts of all kinds. In his past, he has directed productions for North Central, as well as for other institutions.
Being involved in Fine Arts is a goal that Lynch set forth for himself quite early in his life, stating that “the moment I knew that I wanted to be a performer was probably my senior year of high school: I’ve loved performing ever since I was about 8 or 9 years old.” Though he may not look it, especially now that he has sustained an ankle injury, Lynch also spent time as a choreographer.
Brian Lynch has held his title of “Fine Arts Director” since 2007, “even though the College didn’t build the Fine Arts Center as it is today until 2008”, said Lynch. 2007 doesn’t mark the start of Lynch’s time at the College; he has been with the College since 1995.
It takes a special kind of person to seek out acts that will appeal to a demographic like the one that Wentz and Pfeiffer serve, and Lynch has the skills necessary. “I’ve always gotten along well with people, and I like to think I have a broad enough perspective to know what people want to see”, mentions Lynch.
There are several factors that Lynch has to take into consideration when he is looking in to artists who may perform at the College: “I have to think not only which artists will sell well, but also which artists are going to be viable. With every artist that I consider booking, I have to keep in mind the mission statement of the College, and make sure that the artist or band fits that,” he says.
The work that Lynch does for North Central as Fine Arts director may go unnoticed by the greater population of the student body, but that in no way lessens its importance.
Though this work may sometimes be difficult, mostly depending on the time of year, in the end it is always rewarding. “I think that the hardest part of what I do is convincing the population to commit to an artist, as well as working with the confines of a college campus.”
Lynch states that one of his favorite acts to recently hit the stage at Pfeiffer Hall was Huey Lewis and the News: “The best part of that show was seeing everyone who was there just enjoying the concert, enjoying the music”, says Lynch. He also claimed that one of the best moments of his career so far was following a concert, a patron told him that he should retire because of how good the preceding show was.
On certain occasions, Lynch will go on stage before whatever act he has booked performs to introduce them. This was the case with Black Violin, on November 1st at Wentz Concert Hall. Lynch came out from the backstage area, crutches and a smile in tow, to present the act.
