Now preparing for retirement, Kathleen Gagne is grateful for the chance to preserve history while inspiring future generations to engage with music and culture.
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Since its construction in 1857, Mechanics Hall in Worcester has been a community gathering place for culture, lectures, and great music. World renowned for its acoustics and architecture, the hall stands a historic and enduring landmark. For the past 30 years, and the past seven as executive director, Kathleen Gagne has steered the nonprofit through challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, implemented major physical upgrades, and prioritized accessible programming. Now preparing for retirement, Gagne is grateful for the chance to preserve history while inspiring future generations to engage with music and culture.
Looking back over the past 30 years, what milestones are you most proud of?
What I'm most proud of at this moment is the staff. After COVID-19, we had to rebuild, and the staff that's in place right now is a high-performing family that's also a productivity machine. As far as the building is concerned, the upgrades to the sound and lighting are going to take us well into the 21st century. I'm very proud of the portraits project, which commissioned three portraits of black leaders from the 19th century, honoring them in the Great Hall Portrait Gallery. I'm thrilled our Brown Bag Concert Series, which is free to the public, is in its 42nd year.
People who attend the Brown Bag Concerts are often people who would never get to experience great music in a great hall otherwise, and so I'm very proud to continue that tradition. The Youth Singers is our newest youth program, which is a free choral program for fourth to seventh graders from the city of Worcester with no costs and no auditions. Then we have Club 321, where we transform Washburn Hall into a nightclub, and it's fabulous.
What is your leadership style?
I take a coach approach with our mission in mind. The staff are exceptionally talented, and I empower them to do their jobs. You can't expect people to step up if you don't let them.
How did you stay afloat during COVID?
The pandemic was absolutely devastating. One day we were in business, and the next day we weren't; and then we were without income for 18 months. I had to furlough staff, but fortunately, we didn't lose many employees when we reopened. Our finance director at the time was fantastic at navigating the Paycheck Protection Program loans, along with a grant program called the Shuttered Venues by the Small Business Administration. Fortunately, we're known worldwide as a recording venue, so during those 18 months we had blocks of time available for recording artists, which was a godsend. We even had an Apple TV+ movie called “Spirited” filmed in the hall. There was a little bit of a struggle for us, but we were successful in the end. These days, we're competing against the couch since people got used to being at home during COVID, but at the same time people were eager to get back out and socialize again.
How has the role of performance halls changed over the years? Has the public's taste for certain performances changed?
What I would say is that great music is great music, and a great musical experience is still a great musical experience. So, in that way, nothing has changed. In another way, our entire world has become more niche. We balance offering performances that reach a broad range of people along with niche performers. We have deliberately sought out performers who might not otherwise have the opportunity to perform in the hall. It's the community's stage, and the more individuals who get to experience making music in Mechanics Hall, the better the world is, because it's just as wonderful for them as it is for the audience to hear them.
What will you miss the most as you prepare to retire?
It’s a joy to come to work every day. It still is a joy. I love the staff, I love the hall, I love everything about it, and I'm going to miss it. It feels like home. It's a blessing to come into this beautiful space every day and serve people.
What piece of advice would you give to your successor?
Practice gratitude. Be grateful for this life, this hall, for the staff, for our supporters, for the exceptional history behind Mechanics Hall. If you come to work every day with that gratitude in your heart, then you're going to make great decisions.
This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by WBJ Correspondent Sloane M. Perron.
