The Foundation of the Performing Arts Center (FPAC) received a $1.5 million grant from the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust, Foundation officials announced May 16.
This grant marks the largest monetary donation in the history of the FPAC. The donation will be used to support existing programs to ensure availability of fine arts to students, and contribute to the upkeep on the facilities, according to FPAC Executive Director Leann Standish.
Harold Miossi was a lifetime resident of San Luis Obispo and his trust is dedicated to bettering the lives of community members, according to Carroll. In honor of the donation, the Foundation Board for the FPAC renamed Sidney Harman Hall as the Harold Miossi Hall at a ceremony May 16.
The Performing Arts Center (PAC) is almost 25 years old and maintains its current condition because of FPAC, according to Standish. This grant helps ensure Cal Poly students can perform at this professional hall, according to Standish.
“All the students who perform there have the chance to perform at this world-class hall,” Standish said.
Music sophomore Nicolai Borst has performed in the PAC and found this experience to be a beneficial opportunity for his career path.
“As a music major, it helps better emulate the experience of what it will be like in a professional setting because the PAC is such a good facility,” Borst said.
The Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust values providing increased access to fine arts for San Luis Obispo community members. Howard Carroll, a trustee for the Miossi Trust, said he believes the FPAC improves the quality of life for community members and students by introducing them to art.
“It’s life-changing for some, it’s the first time they’ve experienced something other than the education we’ve had of ‘one plus one equals two.’ Art does that, it’s expressing the same topics with different passions,” Carroll said.