Bronwyn Benoit, event manager for the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts and a Jacksonville native, is a permanent fixture in Downtown’s art scene.
Benoit immerses herself in all art forms and attends as many events as she possibly can. Her longtime favorite is The Jazz Festival.
“The Jazz Festival is and always has been my favorite,” Benoit says. “It’s such a cross-cultural event.”
But her more recent love is the Art Walk.
“I try to do every single Art Walk, rain or shine,” she says. “The arts in Jacksonville have always been a fabric in my life.”
Benoit says she’s impressed with the progress that Downtown’s art community has made.
“It’s made great strides,” she says. “Each year it gets better and better. Too many people don’t understand how important it is to our lives. We need to change that.”
That’s why Benoit takes her job so seriously and has been doing so for eight-and-a-half years. Her main focus is on creating memorable experiences for the Times-Union Center’s patrons.
“From the time they get out of the car, enter the building, give their tickets to the usher and take a seat, I want the experience to be a good one,” she says. “That’s my responsibility.”
One of Benoit’s most memorable moments was when “The Lion King” ran in 2007. From start to finish, it took close to eight months to get everything in place, but all the stresses became worth it, and the hard work clear, when she had what she calls, her “wow moment.”
“On opening night I’m walking across the lobby and I just stopped,” she says. “I looked at everything and everyone. All of a sudden, the doors opened, everyone started pouring in and a rush just came over me. I thought to myself, now this is what it’s all about. People left with huge smiles on their faces.”
“The Lion King” ran for 48 shows and Benoit says all 48 were full of smiles.
One event she’s looking forward to this year is the 60th anniversary of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, an organization she holds close to her heart. Benoit began attending the symphony when she was nine and over the years has watched it take on a life of its own. This season, the symphony is taking a new approach to their series.
“They have completely re-imaged themselves,” Benoit says.
The symphony begins a series titled, “Friday Fusion” in October. Each concert will cater to music from across the world such as the “German Fusion,” and “Latin Fusion” concerts. There will even be time afterwards to mingle with the musicians.
“There are events that we all look forward to every year,” Benoit says. “This particular series is innovative. It’s going to be really cool.”