What do Trout Fishing in America and the U.S. Marine Band have in common? They appeared on stage at Longwood and people loved them. And when Priscilla Johnson booked them to perform, she reeled in an audience —not only for a concert, but also for our Gardens. As Performing Arts Coordinator from 1986 to 2003, Johnson expanded the Longwood lineup with national and international artists, raising the curtain on some 400 shows a year. “I was here day and night and weekends and I loved it,” she says. She added a chamber music series and a dance series, delighted families with summer Ice Cream Concerts, and put the festivity into Chrysanthemum Festival with ensembles that celebrated Eastern art and culture. Johnson’s innovation was grounded in the tradition of the Gardens, using Mr. du Pont’s wonderfully nontraditional spaces: the Italian Water Garden, the Rose Arbor, the Conservatory Terrace. It was also grounded in community, supported by a bedrock of local talent and the audiences they brought with them. “Of course, you can’t do this alone,” says Johnson. She credits the entire Longwood staff, including then intern Emily Moody, who became a champion for the arts when a tax referendum cut art and music at her high school. Ever since, Emily has promised herself that “the arts will have a business sense.” Today, as Assistant Manager, Moody creates new programs for Longwood’s three resident instruments. At the 2013 inaugural International Organ Competition, Emily was moved to tears by the music of South Korea’s Jinhee Kim—because of its beauty, and because her own hard work had made it possible. Moody is now at work on two more Longwood firsts: next summer’s Organ Academy, giving students the chance to learn from local and visiting organists; and September’s Carillon Festival. Such programs support Longwood’s mission for both the arts and education. And the artists themselves often play an integral role. Recently, string trio Time Pre-show soundcheck in the Open Air Theatre.
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