Profiles

Jacob Yarrow, Hancher Auditorium

	Jacob Yarrow, director of programming for Hancher Auditorium. Photo by Tom Jorgensen.

Yes, he was quite aware that we had a flood here last summer that devastated the arts campus. But Jacob Yarrow, who began his duties as the new director of programming for Hancher Auditorium on Aug. 17, wasn’t about to let the lack of a building keep him from joining an organization that he has long admired. He’s eager to build on the legacy of former Hancher leaders Jim Wockenfuss, Wally Chappell, and Judy Hurtig, as well as current executive director Chuck Swanson, all of whom are “celebrities” in the world of arts presentation.

“It’s awful not to have a really famous building, and Hancher Auditorium is famous throughout the world,” Yarrow says. “On the other hand, there are opportunities to present great art in different places, so we’ll continue to focus on the world-class performances that are expected at Hancher.”

Yarrow, who was most recently the executive director of the Garth Newel Music Center in rural Bath County, Va., is a classical and jazz saxophonist who has toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. He and his wife, Debbie, have two daughters: third-grader Grace and first-grader Ella. During his second day on the job, he took time to talk with fyi about Hancher, teaching junior high students, and the biggest risk he ever took.

What drew you to The University of Iowa and Hancher?

I’ve known about Hancher for a long time, ever since I started working and presenting. In fact, this Hancher magnet, which came with my new office, also happened to be in my office in Washington, D.C., where I first met Chuck Swanson and Judy Hurtig about 12 years ago. Hancher continued to be a place that I looked at every year—what are they presenting?—because it’s one of the most interesting places. It’s that great history of being a leading arts organization and presenting exceptional performances that led me here. Outside of that, the University and Iowa City communities are remarkable and vibrant. It’s particularly great for my family. We are excited about all the opportunities for them.

Describe what your role will be.

I’ll work collaboratively, both with the people who work here and with all the stakeholders of the organization. It’s still coming together on my second day! I’ll be taking the lead in identifying and figuring out what performances we’ll present.

Hancher is well known for a variety of things, including commissioning dance. Do you see taking that further in the same direction or pursuing some new directions?

I absolutely want to continue these things that we’re known for, to build on our core strengths…to digest the values of an institution and be true to those values. Perhaps some of the programming looks different, but the values of really great art, strong craft, and inspiration that speaks to the human condition…all of those things will stay true. I really don’t know how yet, but without a doubt some of the things will be different because there isn’t a Hancher Auditorium. And at some point it is personal, and I’ll have a slightly different artistic sensibility than my predecessors.

How does someone who’s played with the Glenn Miller Orchestra also get along teaching surly junior high music students?

I taught junior high in Beckley, W.Va., for one year. I was filling in for a woman on sick leave who had been one of my teachers. It was right after graduate school, very challenging but really interesting. In many ways I had to ask some of the questions I’m asking myself today. “I’m teaching these kids music, but what’s relevant about it?” You don’t just go in and say, “Well, Beethoven’s the biggest genius that ever lived.” You have to ask “What is relevant about Beethoven to these West Virginia kids?” “Why is this music, this art form, this dance, whatever; why is it relevant right now?” How do we present it in a way that honors the art form and also gives it some sort of context and relevance?

On your days off what would people find you doing?

Cooking! I really enjoy cooking. At Garth Newel, we had a large food program and employed a chef. I learned a lot about how to cook. It’s really fun to go to the farmers market in the morning and figure out what to cook at night.

What was the most unexpected thing that happened to you at work?

Garth Newel Music Center used to be a farm and there are still some animals around. After a couple of incidents, I had to ban staff from bringing their dogs to work because the dogs ate the chickens.

When you were a kid, you always wanted to be what?

I wanted to be a photographer, but that shifted to playing the saxophone pretty early on.

What was your first job?

Both ushering and playing in the pit orchestra for summer musical theater at Grandview State Park in West Virginia.

The best trip I ever took was to …?

My wife and I look back on a trip we took to Rome and Tuscany in November about 10 years ago as the best trip we ever took. Of course, that’s a great place to visit, but our fond memories are more a result of the spontaneous nature of the trip. We were living in Washington, D.C., and really needed a break. We decided to go somewhere by bidding for cheap tickets on priceline.com.  Two weeks later we were at the Pantheon.

If you were to take up a new hobby, what would it be?

I’d like to play electric bass. I bought one on eBay last spring and need to get back to practicing.

What was the biggest risk you ever took and did it pay off?

Perhaps the biggest risk was starting the Virginia Blues and Jazz Festival, and it did pay off. I started the festival in 2006 but only after 18 months of planning and fund-raising and creating a venue for it. The music center where I worked had 114 acres on the side of a mountain. It had a beautiful front lawn with lots and lots of lawn seating. Figuring out the proper way to build the stage, to get things in and out, really building all the logistics from parking to ticketing, the programming, the sponsorship, everything from the ground up. It was a big risk, and it has been unbelievably successful for four years.

by Steven Parrott

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