The Mission of Anderson Center

The Anderson Center is committed to hosting and staging world-class performances in theater, dance and music — and to enhancing the Binghamton University student experience as well as the lives of people in its community.

Designed to exacting standards to meet the needs of every type of performance — ranging from solo acts to large theatrical productions complemented by a full orchestra — the Anderson Center opened in 1985. The facility boasts three distinct theater venues: Watters Theater, Chamber Hall and the Osterhout Concert Theater, which features a glass rear wall that opens to a sloping knoll, creating a unique open-air summer concert experience and turning a 1,200-seat theater into a 2,700-seat theater.

The Center’s administration books major national and international music, theater and dance performances as part of a world-class concert series for regional audiences. The staff also hosts critically acclaimed festivals featuring the performing arts of specific foreign countries. The Scottish festival became a model for other British Council partnerships in more than 110 countries, and the Greek festival marked the first time Greece has ever collaborated on such an endeavor anywhere in the world. The influence of these festivals continues The Mission of the Anderson Center through international exchange programs they spurred at the University.

In addition to performances planned by the Center’s staff, numerous community and university organizations also perform in the Anderson Center’s theaters. These range from the Binghamton Philharmonic’s concert season to the Summer Youth Musical Workshop to plays and performances by the University’s Departments of Theatre and Music.

With all its programming, the Anderson Center strives to keep ticket prices affordable so performances are accessible to as many people as possible. As a primarily self-supporting facility, however, the Anderson Center relies in large part on private funding to bring the world to the local stage. Outside of salaries, the state provides only [5 percent] of the Center’s operating budget.