Ambassador Concert Hall to Close in May

Ambassador Auditorium--one of the Southland’s most acclaimed concert halls and for more than 20 years a center for fine classical, jazz and folk music--is canceling its 1995-1996 season because of financial woes and will shut its doors in May, owners of the Pasadena landmark said Friday.

The auditorium, recognized for its fine acoustics and intimate atmosphere, is owned by the Worldwide Church of God and is located on the religious organization’s 40-acre campus. The church has been subsidizing the auditorium’s operating budget, providing 50%--about $2.5 million--of its overhead in recent years.

But with dwindling church income, officials said, they “now reluctantly must cease funding the arts.” David Hulme, director of performing arts at Ambassador and an ordained minister in the church, said religious donations have dropped 30%.

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The unexpected plunge in income and the short notice on the cancellation, church officials said, have made “any alternative fund-raising goals for this year impossible to fulfill.”

“It’s an enormously sad moment for Ambassador’s 20-year history of providing what we have thought of as the best of the performing arts,” Hulme said. “We sincerely hope a way will be found to save this cultural jewel.”

The remaining 59 scheduled events in the 1994-1995 series will not be affected by Friday’s announcement.

Many leaders in the artistic community expressed disappointment at the impending loss of one of the area’s major music centers.

“I’m sorry to hear that a good venue is closing and that some artists will no longer have that venue,” said Ernest Fleischmann, executive vice president and managing director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. “On the other hand, it’s no surprise, since it cost so much to keep (it) going. They paid enormous fees (to artists).”

The auditorium was popular for both the quality of its presentations and its unique setting. Martin Bernheimer, music critic for The Times, said: “There was no denying the world-class quality of the concert series, and it was a rare pleasure to hear music in an elegant hall that seated only 1,200.”

Michael Blachly, director of the UCLA Center for the Performing Arts, said the closure sends a chilling message to other arts organizations.

“Ambassador Auditorium has been one of the foremost presenters in Southern California of the art forms of Western culture,” Blachly said. “To see this presenter close its doors makes me nervous on several levels, and gives me a sense that the performing arts are now entering a period of greater uncertainty.”

News of Ambassador’s closure rumbled through Pasadena’s business and political circles like an earthquake Friday afternoon.

“God almighty, that incredible auditorium, with those acoustics, it would be a crime to let that thing sit empty,” said Michael R. Hawkins, president of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce.

Hawkins said he had no idea how much entertainment revenue Pasadena might lose from Ambassador patrons visiting the city’s restaurants, hotels and other nightspots. However, he quickly added, “it affects us all, it’s devastating for the city and it’s devastating for business. In these tough economic times any impact is a big impact.”

Pasadena Mayor Kathryn Nack was also taken by surprise. “That’s very heartbreaking news,” she said. “It’s one of the major cultural venues in the city; we take pride in it.”

She said church officials have not approached the city for financial help, but added that Pasadena has no money designated for such a cultural emergency.

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For 21 years, the auditorium has presented an expanding spectrum of classical and light music. Each year it has offered hundreds of concerts and other forms of live entertainment, as well as a popular travel film series. It has also been used for religious services and lectures.

Many world-class solo musicians have given recitals there, among them Artur Rubinstein, Birgit Nilsson, Vladimir Horowitz and Nathan Milstein. Jazz greats who performed there include Ella Fitzgerald, Dave Brubeck, Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, George Shearing and Mel Torme.

The Gold Medal series gave emerging musicians opportunities to perform in a major hall at a crucial point in their careers. Audiences were introduced to young artists at affordable prices, since Gold Medal tickets cost appreciably less than tickets to other attractions at the hall.

Performers for the 1995-1996 season, which was to open in September, had already been booked and the lineup was to be announced in April.

The Worldwide Church of God has subsidized Ambassador since 1974, when it opened. Its closure will eliminate 50 jobs, such as those of directors, stagehands, light and sound engineers, and the ticket office staff, Hulme said.

He said the church, which had required its members to tithe a certain amount each year, made doctrinal changes in 1994 that gave members more leeway in how much they contributed.

The result has been a 30% downturn so far this year in donations, according to Hulme. And because of that, the church has been forced to reassess its financial situation and scale back its own expenditures, he said.

“The church being a church puts a higher priority on educational outreach, magazine production, elements of the church’s work that are in the direct religious realm. And performing arts . . . is seen as less of a priority than directly religious programs,” he said.

The church formerly ran a branch of its liberal arts university at its Pasadena headquarters. But its 600 students were relocated to a campus in Big Sandy, Tex., five years ago because there is more room to expand there, Hulme said.

The hall will continue to be used for religious services, but its future as a concert hall is unclear, he said, adding, “It would be wonderful if members of the community around us could come to our rescue in whatever way they feel they can.”