“Bittersweet is the wrong word,” said Cityfolk President Matt Dunn. “I think UD will be responsible stewards of our programming. Due to the economic situation, we did what we had to do. Sometimes organizations like ours run their course. We had more than a 30-year run, and if music continues other places in the community, that’s great.”
In addition to the festival, Dunn said in a good year, Cityfolk hosted 8 to 12 musical performances ranging from the Jazz Series, to Celtic music and the World Rhythms Series.
Paul Benson, dean of UD’s College of Arts and Sciences, said the university hopes to keep the traditional two World Rhythms shows, and bring in two major jazz events per year, plus perhaps a smaller trio or quartet. UD will form a community advisory board, including some current Cityfolk supporters, to plan future programming.
But the only funding UD will inherit is Cityfolk’s JazzNet endowment supported by the Doris Duke Foundation. While that fund contains about $500,000, Dunn said IRS rules mean only about $25,000 can be withdrawn each year, and it must go to jazz-related programs.
“For those who have a passion for Celtic music, folk music and the like, we will be receptive to ideas that Cityfolk’s constituents support, but the only funding is money that is required to go to jazz,” Benson said. “I wish I could say we’re in a position to take on the entire menu of Cityfolk’s activities, but that’s just not the case.”
Dunn said Cityfolk itself couldn’t continue operating due to financial problems. The storm-damaged 2012 festival played a part, but Dunn said declining corporate sponsorships and ticket sales also played a role.
“We sort of had a niche market. If you compare us to WYSO radio, what they do on the airwaves, we were doing on stage,” Dunn said. “There’s only so many international artists (outside the mainstream) who are going to appeal to enough people to fill a hall.”
Going forward, Dunn said he hopes Cityfolk supporters will explore the UD Arts Series, the Dayton Art Institute’s Vectren Jazz and Beyond, plus musical offerings at Victoria Theatre and Gilly’s.
Benson said UD plans to market its Arts Series more prominently to the community at large. He said UD also plans to continue Cityfolk’s artist residency program, where musicians who come to town for a concert spend a few days working on music education with local schools and community groups.
“Cityfolk has a legacy of extremely high-quality artistic programming (and) of engaging a very diverse community through musical cultures, from around the U.S. and around the world,” Benson said. “Cityfolk’s idea of culture building community is an idea that resonates with our mission as an institution.”
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