cover story | summer entertainment

PASSIONATE PAIR
for the arts

By MICHEL NOLAN

MIRACLES. MAGIC. GIFTS OF THE SEASON.

Could it be Christmas? No. These are the recurring themes of the Redlands Bowl, the venerable venue that each summer attracts more than 100,000 people for world-class entertainment under the stars.

When Beverly Noerr, executive director of the Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival, and Marsha Gebara, program coordinator, discuss their “baby,” their faces light up.

The women are the dynamic duo dedicated to the mission of the Bowl — making the finest acts in performing arts accessible to everyone.

In her seventh season as executive director, Noerr says her life is full and blessed with a job she calls “rewarding and inspirational.” She calls herself a “happily retired singer” who loves the excitement of backstage.

“I love how it all comes together. There’s this magical and awesome moment right before the lights come down,” Noerr said.

A native of Tallahassee, Noerr became executive director in 2002, a job that blends two things she loves — music and aiming toward the greater good.

At the Bowl, you don’t need reserved seats. There is a feeling of welcome here. That accessibility is part of the magic of the Bowl, both women say.

“The magic is uncanny. The giving spirit of the Bowl is the basis for the magic. It’s that positive energy. So many intangibles, so many miracles. With programming, too, everything works out — it all falls into place,” Gebara said.

“The Bowl has been the great equalizer. This basic respect for all human beings is one of the principles of the Bowl." Gebara, a former flight attendant, has been able to enjoy a great variety of performing arts, from the Sydney Opera House to London’s Covent Garden to the Paris Opera House and even kabuki theater in Tokyo.

"My mother loved the arts and we learned to appreciate the beauty of the arts when we were young," said Gebara, who moved to Redlands from New York City in 1985.

"It was a natural progression. I joined the bowl association because I loved the Bowl and wanted to make this beautiful thing keep happening every year."

Gebara became assistant program director in 1989. "We all find ways to give back — this is my path," she said.

Since presenting its first professional performance on Aug. 8, 1924, the Bowl has staged critically acclaimed, top-notch international talent while staying classically based. "That’s another part of the giving spirit," Noerr said. "People give what they can — they give from their hearts."

When it comes to the Bowl, gifts are plentiful.

Not just gifts of music and community, but gifts of beauty, hope, healing, belonging, tradition and family come to mind, the pair say.

There’s the work of the 19-member RCMA board, along with the foundation — in all, about 800 or so volunteers who generously share their time.

Scheduled for completion later this year is another gift — renovation of the 1898 Mission Gables Bowl House adjacent to the Bowl, which will provide restrooms for Bowl audiences and programming for the community. "In our busy, high-tech lives, what is needed is a place where people can get together sometimes — just to see their fellow human beings," Noerr said.