About Us

     In 2011, a group of fifteen people met to explore organizing a nonprofit corporation to benefit youth in the disciplines of theater, dance, and vocal and instrumental music. This resulted in formation of the Performing Arts League, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to promote youth involvement in the performing arts. The Performing Arts League, Inc. has grown to over sixty members composed of women and men, including active professionals and retirees.
 
                            Scholarships and Grants Awarded from May 2014 - May 2018
                                                                        ($110,000 +)
  • Awarded scholarships for music lessons and/or music camps for young musicians of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Youth Orchestras 
  • Provided the Chattanooga Theatre Centre with production funds for their Youth Theatre performances
  • Held annual Vocal Competition among aspiring high school classical singers
  • Granted scholarships to Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts to dancers
  • Granted scholarships to young dancers to attend summer intensive dance programs in New York, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina
  • Granted tuition scholarships for summer intensive study to young dancers of Ballet Tennessee
  • Awarded tuition scholarship for summer study to Chattanooga Ballet dancer
  • Granted tuition scholarships to young singers of the Chattanooga Girls Choir
  • Provided funds to help sponsor the Chattanooga Boys Choir’s Only Men Aloud, a weekend choral workshop 
  • Provided funds for the Chattanooga Clarinet Choir’s Clarinet Concerto Competition
  • Purchased uniforms for The Howard School Band and provided funds for secure storage
  • Inaugurated Sunday Showcase in October 2014, which highlights and celebrates school-age talent and the organizations that foster and support that talent. The annual production features performances by Chattanooga’s outstanding young artists, from 40 area schools, in the disciplines of dance, theater, and instrumental and vocal music.  
  •  Awarded grants to String Theory to co-sponsor and support introductory musical programs for young children at several Chattanooga and Cleveland public elementary schools, of which several are Title 1 schools
  • Granted a scholarship for a young flutist to attend Sewanee Summer Music Festival
  • Granted a scholarship for a young organist to attend Westminster Choir College Organ Camp
  • Awarded a grant to East Lake Expression Engine for their summer program
  • Awarded grants to Unity Performing Arts for their Rising Star Summer School Program which offers dance, voice, keyboard, brass, and drum instruction to students at Carver, Avondale, and Washington Hills Recreation Centers 
  • Awarded a grant to the Chattanooga Girls Choir for a commissioned piece by Susan LaBarr for their 30th Anniversary Anniversary and for the Hamilton County All-Female Choral Festival
  • Awarded grants to Christian Family Theater for the youth production of Matilda the Musical and for the purchase of sound equipment
  • Awarded a grant to Hamilton County Department of Education for Lookout Valley Middle/High School’s “Build the Band of Gold”
  • Awarded a grant to Kiwanis Club for the Clifton Hills Elementary School Outdoor Music Playground
  • Awarded a grant to the Chattanooga Theatre Centre, in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club, for A Dramatic Arts Experience, summer theatrical arts classes for underserved children in grades 1-3 
  

Board of Directors

  • Linda Thompson – President 
  • Sheryl Dodson – Ventures Vice President 
  • Greg Miller - Marketing Vice President
  • Jean Rader – Recording Secretary
  • Karen Murphy – Treasurer
  • Gloria Miller/Mary-Bacon Williams– Corresponding Secretary
  • Patricia Daniel – Assistant Treasurer 
  • Margaret Green – Past President (Ex-Officio)

Standing Committee Chairs

  • Julia Sanford/Rhonda Ireland– Venues Chair
  • Robin Campbell – Publicity Chair
  • Barbie Standefer – Membership Chair
  • Dominique Brandt-Shepard  – Graphics Chair
  • Greg Miller - Webmaster/Facebook