The Auditorio de la Ribera del Lago is back in business following a major inside makeover.
Lakeside’s prime cultural venue reopened Friday, February 15 with due pomp and circumstance, with a full house in attendance for a music and dance gala featuring stellar performances by the Centro Regional de Estudios Musicales (CREM) Víctor Manuel Medeles Orchestra, the Cantantes del Lago chorus, the auditorium’s Ballet Clasico corps and the Ballet Folklorico Son de Mexico from San Juan Cosala.
The renovation project was conceived more than three years ago and brought to fruition over the past two and a half months. Work involved an extensive refurbishment of the facility’s interior, including upgrades for electrical, lighting and air conditioning systems, installation of new stage flooring, draperies and the front curtain, ceiling reconstruction and other trappings to improve the acoustics.
The three million peso budget was covered in a three-way split between the National Council of Culture and the Artes (Conaculta), the Jalisco government and community funding amassed by the Pro-Auditorio Committee.
Outgoing Jalisco Culture Secretary Alejandro Cravioto Lebrija appeared at the reopening event to thank the community for its support and acknowledge organizations and individuals who made significant contributions to the project. He began by presenting a certificate of appreciation to Pro-Auditorio Committee president John Keeling and another to Aurora Michel for spearheading various pro-auditorium initiatives over nearly two decades.
Honored for major financial gifts were Viva la Musica, Margaret Ancira, Eric Goodman and Constance Huggett, the Music Appreciation Society, Scotiabank Northern Lights Music Festival, Thom and Jennifer Weeks, Suzanne Forrest, John and Rosemary Keeling, Jim and Susan Lightfoot, Millie Phinney, Paul and Harriet Hart. Thom Weeks, Daniel Ruvalcaba, Barbara Castro and Alberto Nuñez were applauded for lending their construction and design expertise to the project. Anita Lee, David McIntosh, Adriana Fernandez, Alma Gutierrez, Ann Barry, Mary Ellen McCann and Roberta Hilleman were commended for boosting fundraising efforts.
Keeling expressed gratitude to everyone else who chipped in cash donations and helped build up the kitty through a series of 11 fund-raising events. Mayor Joaquin Huerta offered special thanks to the expatriate community for backing the project.
Cravioto gracefully received an engraved glass trophy in appreciation for tackling government leadership on the project, stating, “I always believed in you. Thank you for believing in us.”
Plans are now in the works to launch a second phase of remodeling that will include new upholstery for seating in the side sections, air conditioning in the stage area and resurfacing the building’s roof with fire resistant materials.