After 12 years of managing the downtown Springfield theaters, she will relocate to South Carolina.
Cynthia J. Anzalotti is stepping down as president of the Springfield Performing Arts Development Corp., which manages Symphony Hall and CityStage in downtown Springfield. (The Republican file photo)SPRINGFIELD – Cynthia J. Anzalotti, who has overseen CityStage and Symphony Hall for 12 years, will leave that post by summer’s end.
As president of Springfield Performing Arts Development Corp., Anzalotti, 50, has managed the two downtown theaters since 1999. She took over the reins after the tumultuous transition from StageWest to CityStage.
Anzalotti said Thursday she and her husband, Paul, have decided to relocate to Charleston, S.C. – a decision they have mulled over for the past few years.
Their East Longmeadow home was recently sold and the couple is purchasing a home in a Charleston suburb. Anzalotti has a daughter in North Carolina and a son in Delaware. She is interviewing for a position with a Charleston non-profit corporation this week.
“It was a very, very hard decision to leave here. My heart is in my job and my career is part of my identity,” she said.
Anzalotti has offered to remain until mid-August while a transition is agreed up on by the performing arts corporation board of trustees, said Gary G. Breton, chairman of the board.
A four-member ad hoc committee is evaluating Anzalotti’s departure and deciding on a selection process for a replacement, he said.
“We love Cindy. She has been one of the best things to happen to downtown,” Breton said. “She is loved by our patrons and our business sponsors.”
Anzalotti earned an annual compensation package of $129,010, according to recent federal tax filings. Her salary and the operation of the arts corporation is not funded by the city of Springfield, but through ticket sales and fund-raising.
Anzalotti has been an outspoken advocate of downtown Springfield as a tourist destination.
Her theaters have struggled with competition from Connecticut casinos, as well as the size limitations of Symphony Hall.
Symphony Hall had to pass on successful touring productions of “Mamma Mia!,” “Young Frankenstein” and “In the Heights” this year because it cannot accommodate the large staging of those shows, Anzalotti said.
As a result, Symphony Hall and CityStage have had to attract popular productions that can fit in the halls, she added.
“We are a huge economic catalyst for downtown Springfield,” Anzalotti said. “There are good restaurants, beautiful theaters, a wonderful symphony and the museums.”
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra is Symphony Hall’s largest tenant.
Orchestra Executive Director Michael Jonnes said he and Anzalotti “have worked together, as fellow cultural organization execs, through good times and bad.”
“She always brought a dedicated and intense desire to help downtown Springfield stay vibrant and alive by insuring that CityStage-Symphony Hall existed as a ongoing success and on ensuring that Symphony Hall be one of the jewels in Springfield’s life.”