InConcert Sierra (ICS) officially broke ground on their 42,000 sq ft facility in the Whispering Pines area on Tuesday. The new venue is slated for an opening in the fall of 2024, with an acoustic concert hall seating 520 guests, a conference center able to accomodate 300 participants and a black box theater for 150 audience members.
ICS’ Executive Director Julie Hardin welcomed community members to the construction site and Board President Hindi Greenberg thanked the project team, the contractors and the staff of ICS.
Ken Hardin, ICS’ Artistic Director and board member Monroe Lovelady serve as the project’s co-leads. Grass Valley Mayor Jan Arbuckle, Nevada County Supervisor and ICS board member Heidi Hall, Nevada County Supervisor Lisa Swarthout, ERC representative Gil Matthew and Yolanda Cookson, representing Assemblymember Megan Dahle rounded out the speakers at the event.
The facility experienced a roof collapse less than two days after ICS signed the acquisition paperwork. The ‘free demolition work’ as Ken Hardin jokingly called it, combined with an insurance payment and community contributions from generous donors, will make the fall 2024 opening a possibility.
In the meantime, ICS continues their programs and invites the community to join them for their 3rd Sunday Concert Season starting on September 17th.