Stanford University names Wiley Hausam managing director of Bing Concert Hall

Wiley Hausam will assume the post of managing director of the Bing Concert Hall on Feb. 1 (Photo: Courtesy of Stanford University)

Wiley Hausam, executive director of the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, has been appointed to the newly created position of managing director of the Bing Concert Hall, a new state-of-the-art performing arts facility set to open on the Stanford University campus in January 2013. The 844-seat venue is designed by Ennead Architects with acoustic design by Yasuhisa Toyota of Nagata Acoustics. Hausam will assume the post on Feb. 1.

"Wiley brings a depth of experience overseeing performing arts organizations and an enthusiasm for the importance of the performing arts in the life of the university," said Matthew Tiews, Stanford's executive director of arts programs. "We are delighted to welcome him to our team at this exciting time for the Stanford Arts Initiative."

As managing director of the Bing Concert Hall, Hausam will oversee all aspects of the operations and management of the hall and will be responsible for coordinating multiple programming streams – including visiting artists, Department of Music use, student groups and programming generated by other Stanford departments – in collaboration with campus and community partners.

The Bing Concert Hall is a major milestone of the Stanford Arts Initiative, a university-wide effort to enhance and support the arts and promote the integration of creativity into every field of study. Together with the Anderson Collection at Stanford University, which will open in 2014, and the McMurtry Building, the new home for the Department of Art and Art History, which will open in 2015, the trio of new buildings will join the Cantor Arts Center as cornerstones of the university's new arts district.

Hausam will work closely with faculty and the leadership of the Stanford Arts Initiative to coordinate efforts in the arts campus-wide. He also will collaborate with Jenny Bilfield, artistic director of Stanford Lively Arts, to present compelling programming in the hall. "It is a pleasure to welcome Wiley to Stanford and I look forward to working with him as we count down to the opening of the hall," Bilfield said.

"Stanford's commitment to the arts is second to none in American higher education," Hausam said. "This is vividly demonstrated through its Arts Initiative and now the Bing Concert Hall, which promises to be one of the most exciting venues in this country. Joining Stanford's arts team is an exciting and singular opportunity. I look forward with great anticipation to becoming part of the Stanford community."

Hausam is a long-time administrator and presenter in the performing arts, a producer of new and classic theater and musical theater, a consultant, university teacher and published editor. From 1993 to 2000 he worked at the Public Theater under George C. Wolfe as associate producer of four shows on Broadway (including the Tony winning Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk). He also opened Joe's Pub at the Public Theater in 1998 with Audra McDonald's inaugural concert.

From 2002 to 2007, he was executive director for the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at New York University, where he opened a new 850-seat theater and developed a mission and program centered around the development of young audiences through innovative programming and communication methods. Most recently, Hausam served as executive director of the Purchase College Performing Arts Center, where he worked to eliminate operating deficits, maintained high artistic standards and initiated programmatic experiments to develop new and younger audiences and commission world premiere works in music, dance and theater.

Hausam taught in the Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program at New York University as an adjunct professor from 2000 to 2011.

The Bing Concert Hall

The Bing Concert Hall at Stanford will play a vital role on campus and in the local community. The hall will showcase visiting artists, faculty and student ensembles, and campus-generated programming – including the Stanford Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Chorus; the Grammy-nominated St. Lawrence String Quartet, Stanford's ensemble-in-residence; and Stanford's groundbreaking Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). It will be the main venue for presentations, commissions and performances by visiting artists and other campus and off-campus related programs. It also will fill a critical need as a rehearsal, training and performance venue for the music and drama departments.

The name of the hall reflects Stanford's gratitude and deep affection for Helen and Peter Bing, '55, for their generous support of this far-reaching project.

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