Mid-America Arts Alliance Appoints New Performing Arts Program Manager

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JANUARY 10, 2003

Contact: Daniel Billingsley
(816) 421-1388 Ext.201

Mid-America Arts Alliance Appoints New Performing Arts Program Manager

Kansas City, MO-Mid-America Arts Alliance announces the appointment of Jennifer Tritt as Program Manager for Performing Arts. Ms. Tritt will oversee the Heartland Arts Fund and Community Catalysts/Meet the Composer programs from the Mid-America Arts Alliance office in Kansas City, Missouri.

"I am quite pleased to announce this appointment of Jenny to lead the performing arts division of our organization," stated Mary Kennedy McCabe, Executive Director of Mid-America Arts Alliance. "Jenny has had a strong history with the organization and has the capacity to lead the program into the future with great success."

Ms. Tritt has worked for Mid-America Arts Alliance since 2000 as the Operations Associate. She also worked as the Performing Arts Associate from 1994-1997. A pianist, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music in 1992, and has worked and volunteered with several arts organizations in the Kansas City area including Starlight Theatre, the Kansas City Ballet, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and the Kansas City Symphony.

"I am excited to come back to the Performing Arts division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and look forward to building upon my tenure at this organization," Tritt stated. "It is a tremendous opportunity to be working with the best of presenters throughout the Midwest and I hope to continue the fine work that embodies Mid-America Arts Alliance's performing arts programs."

Betty Maltbia, who has worked in the Performing Arts division since 2001, will continue in her role as Performing Arts Program Assistant.

Established in 1998 as a joint venture of Arts Midwest (www.artsmidwest.org) and Mid-America Arts Alliance, the Heartland Arts Fund is the largest program in the country providing multi-disciplinary support for performing arts touring. Through grant awards for artist fees and educational residencies, the Heartland Arts Fund assists performing arts presenters of all sizes throughout the 15-state territory of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. It is supported by the 15 participating state arts agencies of Arts Midwest and Mid-America Arts Alliance and by the Regional Touring Program of the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Community Catalysts Program was created for M-AAA's six member states, and provides funding for activities that broaden and deepen public participation in the arts. Community Catalysts projects are designed to engage new audiences and stimulate nontraditional collaboration within communities. Ranging from the creation of public murals to film festivals for senior citizens, these projects take place in schools, churches, hospitals, and youth and retirement centers, creatively weaving the arts into the fabric of everyday life throughout the region. In addition, the Meet the Composer program allows participants to host composers for residencies, concerts, and master classes.

Mid-America Arts Alliance, founded in 1972, is a non-profit regional arts organization based in Kansas City, Missouri. It is governed by a board of directors drawn from its partner states of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. Major support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, participant state arts agencies, and leading foundations and corporations. For further information, visit the Mid-America Arts Alliance Web site at www.maaa.org or contact Daniel Billingsley at (816) 421-1388.