[By Michael Kilgore]

Patel Conservatory Opens To Rave Reviews

Young dancers giggle, pose and stretch outside the classical ballet training studio, waiting to be transformed into swans. In another classroom, adult writers collect words like gold, as a playwriting instructor urges them to use what they know as a starting point. "I think you'll find it easier to work from your own truths," he says.

After a few fits and starts by a youthful woodwinds, percussion and brass section, the conductor sings the instrumental passage as he wants it played. "Start from nothing," he tells them in the rehearsal hall. "Make everything serve the rhythm." On the third floor, adult students slouch in a circle of chairs, pondering the meaning of "living truthfully under imaginary circumstances," a tenet of the Meisner acting technique.

School is in session at Tampa's new Patel Conservatory, a 45,000-square-foot facility and a new component of the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in downtown Tampa. The four-story Patel building exterior mirrors the façade of the original, so that the first major addition since the arts center opened in 1987 doesn't stand out as new construction. But inside, there are new programs, new opportunities, new visions.

Class demonstrations, tours, speeches and even an original song, celebrated the official opening of the $7.8 million Patel Conservatory late last year. "We are so thrilled to have this beautiful building up and running," said Judith Lisi, president of the Center, at the Conservatory's December 4 grand opening. "Education is a vital part of what we do here at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, and we have done a great job over the years to create a nationally recognized program. But we simply needed more room. Finally, now we have a space big enough to hold our dreams."

In the short list of conservatories connected to major performing arts centers in the United States, the Patel Conservatory is second only to New York City's Juilliard and Lincoln Center. The Conservatory features 20 studios and performance spaces such as the TECO Energy Foundation Theater - a 250-seat venue.

The school includes classes for all ages and interests. Fall, winter and spring sessions, plus a shorter summer session, focus on the training and exploration of the performing arts for prospective arts professionals, as well as for community members seeking a better understanding and appreciation of the arts.

New classes now offered in theater, dance, music and media arts join existing programs such as The Center's Community Arts Ensemble, the Tampa Bay Youth Orchestra and the Classical Ballet Training Program. Already, more than 700 students are enrolled.

The Conservatory is named for Dr. Pallavi Patel, an Indian-born and now Tampa-based pediatrician. Her husband, Kiran, a cardiologist, made a $5 million commitment to The Center's nearly $32 million capital campaign to honor his wife and her love of the arts. The Center then named The Conservatory for her.

Both the Patels frequently speak of bringing communities and cultures together. "At times," Kiran Patel has said, "art can be the very thing that narrows the gap of differences between our societies and honors who we are as people. I am committed to narrowing that gap through education, through health care and, of course, through the arts. I believe that it is through these endeavors that we can make a difference in the world."