Gainesville Magazine nominates Michael Blachly for Spirit of Gainesville Award

A version of this piece appeared in February/March 2016 issue of Gainesville Magazine.

On Thanksgiving of 2008, Michael Blachly and his family were joined at their home by the Soweto Gospel Choir on their first North American tour.

The group of 58 ate a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner, played soccer on the front lawn, and then crowded on the wooden deck to sing. First, the South African national anthem, “Nkosi Sikelel;” then they sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.” All joined arms and swayed to the rhythms of the songs until a loud, cracking sound interrupted them. The deck collapsed that day, and Blachly remembers it fondly.

As director of University of Florida Performing Arts, Michael Blachly spent 15 years bringing established and emerging talent to The Phillips Center, The University Auditorium and the Squitieri Studio Theatre. His legacy in Gainesville is marked by the relationships he built, serving as a bridge between artists and their audiences.

For many decades, Blachly contractually worked out the terms for an artist’s appearance. He did this by use of a marketing plan, simultaneously getting word of the artist to the public and convincing the public that the artist is worth their time and money. His job lay in listening – to the desires of the artist, to the demands of the audience.

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“As a presenter, my hope is that both the artist and the audience leave the facility saying, ‘That was great and I can’t wait to come back,’” he says. “Both want the same thing: satisfaction. They want validation for the time and effort it took to be there. They want to exchange emotions with each other. They want to be in a common space for the same purpose.”

To accomplish this, he utilized positivity with artists when they became demanding and temperamental.

“The key is keeping it in balance and keeping it positive,” he says. “We find the common points and move forward from there.”

With audiences, he gauged their abilities and desires to stretch and expand their palettes.

“Some artists’ success is built on delivering traditions, while others innovate,” he says.

He remembers navigating a performance at UCLA by dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. The program had three pieces: the first so abstract audiences felt lost, a less challenging but still dissonant second, and a very accessible final piece. Blachly told Baryshnikov’s team to reverse the program so audiences wouldn’t leave at intermission.

“They listened to a presenter for the first time,” he says. “The new program engaged the audiences, bringing them into his sphere, where they’d go forward with him.”

Blachly has served as the intermediary between artists and audiences since his first days booking bands for the University of Northern Colorado, where he majored in Speech and Theater. From there, he received a master’s of arts from Washington State and a PhD from the University of Tennesee. He served as the director for their performing arts program, as well as for Colorado State and The University of Hawaii’s programs.

In 1982, he served as director of performing arts for the World’s Fair in Knoxville, producing the World’s Festival. He was responsible for 35 performance events a day for six months straight. Here he brought acts like Van Halen, The London Symphony Orchestra and Bob Hope.

He spent some time working for an off-Broadway production company and Columbia Artists Management before directing UCLA’s performing arts program for 14 years. Then came his 15 years at UFPA, where he and his wife Judy opened their home to artists like YoYo Ma, Twyla Tharp, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, and Philip Glass on his own seventieth birthday.

“Buses would pull up to the front of the house, alerting our neighbors that we were again hosting an entire theatrical or musical ensemble in our home,” he says. “We were able to do more than just have the artists learn our community by seeing I-75, the airport, the hotel, the stage, and the same in reverse.”

He made it a point to give new artists and touring companies a chance and a stage. He commissioned many new works, hosted many national and world premieres, and even formed touring companies from the many connections he’s built over the years.

“The opportunity to build a world-class program with both established and emerging artists for our audiences is something that I truly treasure,” he says.

He believes that, with the establishment of this performing arts program in an already vibrant arts scene, Gainesville is on the cusp of something huge.

“There are certain towns in our country that are identified with a musical presence,” he says. “Austin, Scottsdale, Portland. I think Gainesville can be that arts destination of the Southeast. The momentum is there.”

Today, Blachly continues to work from his beloved Gainesville. As vice-president of Arts Consulting Group Inc., he leads a facilities and program planning practice, finding venues and executives within the arts field.

He says he wants to spend this next phase of his life giving back to the community. His three goals for the future are finding and building new arts facilities, identifying a new generation of leaders, and working with organizations to bring performing arts to the people.

“I’ve had an incredible career, wonderful opportunities, encouragement to try new things and not give up,” he says. “I’ve been given a gift through my experiences that I’d like to share with others now.”