Two days after Tony Bennett gave the first public performance following the completion of The Paramount’s renovation, mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves performed at the Theater’s grand reopening in 2004. The evening was a well-deserved, jubilant celebration more than two decades in the making after the Theater was purchased and saved from demolition by Charlottesville citizens in 1992.

The Paramount’s Education & Outreach Manager, Cathy von Storch, shared with us a special gift she received from Jeff Suling upon his retirement as Fine & Performing Arts Coordinator for Charlottesville City Schools. This beautiful ink drawing of The Paramount, titled “The Grand Re-Opening,” features Denyce Graves’ name up in lights on the marquee. Mr. Suling’s drawing won “Best In Show” in the 2012 C2D Art Show sponsored by ArtInPlace, the theme of which was “250 Years of Charlottesville – in honor of the full life of our town, past, present, and future.”

We are diligently working to reschedule many of our events that have been interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These events contribute significantly toward our yearly operating budget, and we know that we will suffer a devastating loss of revenue as a local nonprofit theater. Please consider making a donation to The Paramount.

Photo by Bruce R. Pfeifer