If it is in one’s mind to try to book a Kearns solo performance, the first thing to consider, of course, would be a venue. In Port Angeles, that isn’t a consideration. We are a small area and have but one venue with the capacity needed for this kind of performance. Our area is a great supporter of the arts. Years ago when planning and building our high school, the planners were forward thinking enough to create a venue which could and would be used by our entire town. It was placed on the high school campus, but is host to festivals, plays, and concerts which are not associated with the high school. So the venue question was nothing to take up my time, other than the need to book quickly as it fills fast!

The next consideration is a date for the concert. Since I knew that Anthony’s Fall Tour was booking and that Himself would be performing in Saskatchewan in October, I felt it would be logical to try to book near to those dates. Not that Saskatchewan is that close to Port Angeles, but hey, in a stretch, right?

I personally had one more thing to consider. I have worked with Ron Jones, the high school orchestra director, for over 15 years and have nothing but respect for his program. One day in early April, he came to me and encouraged me to try to get Anthony Kearns to come to Port Angeles! "We can do it!" he said to me. That set me on the road to booking a concert. I decided that I wanted to make this concert a benefit to help his students gather enough funds to travel to Carnegie Hall where they had been invited to perform during the spring of 2005. It will be a very expensive undertaking; the fundraising needs to begin right away for those kids to get to experience this wonderful opportunity! Since raising funds is not new to me, most especially fundraising for the good of our students, the idea intrigued me: I can introduce my favorite Tenor to my hometown AND do some good for kids, as well. How could I say 'no?'

Alright then: I now know the venue, the approximate time of the year to request, and that I want to sponsor a benefit for our orchestra students.

The very next step was to prepare a proposal to send to Vincent Mitchell, of Mitchell Entertainment, Anthony’s agent here in the U.S. I began corresponding with Mr. Mitchell in early April to try to find an available date before the fall tour was completely booked. One must always begin preparations early in researching a date for a concert. There are so many variables to consider, many of which I was much too inexperienced to understand. But I knew that it was imperative to get my bid to Vincent early if I wanted Anthony here in the fall!

Vince knew that I had to book the venue by June 1, that is when the new school year's calendar begins to fill. It was also necessary for me to have a date before school adjourns for the year, as we needed to make plans before the staff and parents scatter for the summer. Very near that date, I received confirmation: Anthony Kearns will perform in Port Angeles, WA on September 29, 2003!

I have been assured that Vincent is available for any advice I need to complete this project, and I'm sure that I will be relying heavily upon him. Anthony is looking forward to performing in Port Angeles for the first time, and Port Angeles is thrilled to have him!

I now have a confirmed date!

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