Celebrating a Decade of Season Sponsorship
The Music Hall is delighted to celebrate a milestone this season as The Labrie Group and The River House, our first and longest-standing Season Sponsor, celebrates their 10th anniversary in that role. We are inspired by the Labries’ approach to our community for three distinguishing reasons: their emphasis on family, their appreciation for every member of their team, and their willingness to commit to sponsorship for the long term.
Family
The Labrie Group is owned and operated by brothers Michael and Peter Labrie, who describe their family as being “motivated by a passionate commitment to local history, arts and culture, culinary excellence, and community involvement.” The family supports a number of area arts and cultural organizations, individually and through their restaurants, The River House, The Atlantic Grill, and (opening Summer 2021) Jimmy’s on Congress — the new downtown jazz and blues club they are creating in Portsmouth’s historic 1905 YMCA building. In 2016, the Labrie family provided the anchor gift to our Streetscape Campaign; we acknowledged their generosity by dedicating the Chestnut Street Arch, our gift of public art to the city, to Michael and Peter’s late father, Jim Labrie.
Team
As they say on their restaurant websites, the Labries appreciate each and every employee and recognize that everyone contributes to the positive experience they wish for their guests. As a holiday treat, the Labries brought their employees to a Music Hall performance of Elf the Musical. To ensure that every employee could attend, they not only purchased tickets for everyone, but they also closed The River House and The Atlantic Grill for the night. Each June they host a networking event for Music Hall board members on the patio of The Atlantic Grill; the event anchors our Director’s Club social season and credit for its ongoing success goes to their staff.
Time
The Labrie Group is the longest-running Season Sponsor of The Music Hall. Since signing on a decade ago, the Labries have continued to expand their commitment. Their steadfastness has motivated others to sponsor and sponsorship retention has increased significantly with the example they have set. An investment by The Atlantic Grill enabled The Music Hall to introduce lidded Souvenir Cups five years ago. This meant we could allow patrons to bring drinks into the theater, transforming your experience and building concessions into a solid source of earned income. The Chestnut Street Arch — a significant local landmark along with the North Church steeple and the Piscataqua bridges — now provides a high-visibility entryway to our theater down a quiet side street. Mike Labrie also donates his own time, serving as a member of the Board of Trustees for 9 years before joining the Ex Officio Board in 2019.
The Labrie Group’s support directly benefits you and the thousands of patrons who come through our doors each year to experience quality arts programs. Their ongoing commitment has enabled us to develop lasting partnerships to provide educational opportunities for some 60 community organizations, such as Arts In Reach and Portsmouth Music & Arts Center, and to serve more than 80 schools and 30 homeschool groups through the School Days Series. The impact of the family’s support for the arts at The Music Hall is experienced far and wide.
We are truly fortunate that, once again, all three of our Season Sponsors have renewed their support for the new year. We are happy to welcome back The Labrie Group, celebrating 10 years; Carey & Giampa Realtors, back for an 8th season; and Portwalk Place, marking a 7th season. Should you have the opportunity, please let these businesses know how much you appreciate their support of The Music Hall and, by extension, our Seacoast community.