FEATURE
W
Making Fayetteville a Better
A look into the Community
By Hope Myers
ho brings big name productions
like Mannheim Steamroller, Martina
McBride and Michael Bolton to Fayetteville? The Crown Center does. Their
local concert series has been bringing top performing artists
to Cumberland County since 1935 and is currently in its 78th
season of incredible musical features. It is the Fayetteville
Community Concert Series, a local music phenomenon with
the mission to make a better and brighter community.
The history of this musical legacy stretches back to beginning, when it started as a franchise of Columbia Artists
in New York City. Fannie Stein, a civic leader out of Fayette-
54 | November/December • 2013
ville, was credited with the startup of the Community Concert Series, which was called the Civic Music Association at
the time. Back then, community concerts were sprinkled
all across the United States. Now, only a handful are left.
"We evolved and survived," said Michael Fleishman, Attractions Director for the Community Concerts Series. "In
trying to be different from other community concerts, we
have always been looking for something fresh and new."
Part of that evolvement included a significant change
of pace. After half a century of producing mainly classical
concerts, it was time to shake things up. Though this occurred 20 years ago, Fleishman recalled the change with
