Mar 26, 2026
The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University will conclude its yearlong 30th anniversary with a Grand Finale Celebration on Friday, April 24 — an evening that captures the spirit, creativity and community that have defined the Quick Center for three decades.
The event marks the culmination of a yearlong series of performances and exhibitions celebrating the center’s anniversary.
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome our community to the Quick Center’s 30th Anniversary Grand Finale Celebration,” said Dr. Rachel Harris, executive director of the Quick Center. “This evening truly showcases everything the Quick Center has to offer, from the vibrant creativity of our faculty and students filling our beautiful galleries, to the extraordinary talent of Grammy-nominated artist Calabria Foti on our stage. It’s a joyful celebration of who we are, what we create, and the artistic spirit that has defined the Quick Center for three decades.”
The Grand Finale Celebration will begin with an open house reception from 6 to 8 p.m., featuring performances by St. Bonaventure faculty, students and alumni, along with cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres and dessert.
The reception will transform the Quick Center into a vibrant arts experience. Each gallery space will come alive with music, showcasing the talents of St. Bonaventure students, including performances by the SBU Chamber Singers and soloists. Students will also share creative writing and dramatic monologues, “dropping in” throughout the art galleries to surprise and delight guests, creating a dynamic snapshot of the center’s diverse artistic programming.
At 8 p.m., the celebration continues in the Rigas Theater with a special anniversary concert featuring Olean native and Grammy-nominated artist Calabria Foti with The Fredonia Trio — George Caldwell on piano, Paul LaDuca on bass, and John Bacon on drums.
Born in Olean and raised in Fredonia among a family of musicians and music educators, Foti is a singer, violinist, composer, arranger, author and educator. Passionate about movie musicals and classic films of the late 1920s on, Foti calls herself a “throwback” in love with the period of American history that produced the songs of the Great American Songbook and the films from The Golden Age of Hollywood.
Equally at home performing musical theater, jazz, cabaret, or her own songs, Foti has been called a “master of improvisation and interpretation,” and her voice has graced several major motion picture and television soundtracks.
In addition to playing guitar and electric bass, she is an accomplished violinist who has recorded the soundtracks to numerous television shows and motion pictures, including performing the virtuosic violin solo for the long-running theme to PBS’s “Great Performances,” and creating the jazz violin sound for Lisa on “The Simpsons.”
As a vocalist, her acclaimed CDs, produced by and featuring her husband and co-star Bob McChesney, receive continuous airplay on adult standards and jazz radio formats worldwide.
The Fredonia Trio will be among several special guests joining Foti onstage. Laura Peterson, pianist and associate professor of Music at St. Bonaventure, will collaborate with Foti on a special set of violin solos. Also during the concert, Foti will perform a duet with St. Bonaventure alumnus Joseph DeBell, a 2025 graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism.
For 30 years, the Quick Center for the Arts has served as a cultural cornerstone for the region, offering world-class performances, exhibitions and educational programming while enriching the lives of the university and the broader community.
The Grand Finale Celebration is designed not only to honor that legacy, but also to look ahead. All proceeds from the event will benefit the center’s 30th Anniversary Endowment, helping to ensure that the Quick Center can provide transformative artistic experiences for generations to come.
Tickets for the event are $150 and may be purchased through https://www.ticketor.com/quickarts/tickets.
For more information, visit the Quick Center online at www.sbu.edu/quickcenter or call (716) 375-2494.
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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).