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Every day there are exciting things going on in Rochester's cultural arts community. Classical 91.5 hosts collaborate with and create highlights of various arts organizations, musicians and artists in and around our community.

Fort Hill Performing Arts Center coming to Canandaigua next year

Sands Constellation Theatre at Fort Hill Performing Arts Center
Credit Sands Constellation Theatre at Fort Hill Performing Arts Center

A place for community arts will be reopening next year in the Finger Lakes.

The space that will be the Sands Constellation Theater at Fort Hill Performing Arts Center has been dormant for years, but will be hosting community arts events early next year.

Holger Stave, Executive Director of the center, says the process began when the Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra was looking for a permanent home.

Renovations are underway on the Sands Constellation Theater at Fort Hill Performing Arts Center in Canandaigua. WXXI's Caitlin Whyte has more.

"One of its members who lives right down Fort Hill Avenue and walking his dog, he realized gee, there used to be an old theater in this building. What ever happened to it?" Stave explained.

He says a mid-size community performing arts center is something that hasn’t existed in the region for some time.

"Any place where regular community groups, even schools can reach out and do graduations, do plays, play their music and so forth," Stave said.

Credit Laurie Kroon

He says, right now, schools are the only option in the area for these types of events, and CMAC is too big. The venue was built in 1928 will have seating for 419 people. 

With renovations already under way, Stave says they hoping to open bookings for shows starting in January 2020.

Copyright 2019 WXXI News

Caitlin Whyte
Caitlin joins WXXI after working down the street at Stephens Media Group where, she co hosted a children's radio show, "Saturday Morning CarTunes" on WARM 101.3 and worked as a traffic reporter for various affiliates.