Foothills Now Offers Rehearsal, Recording Spaces

By MONICA CALZOLARI
ONEONTA

Are you an artist looking for an affordable place to rehearse or get a professional recording of your performance? Black Hole Studios, opened in April 2023, is part of Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center in Oneonta.

Thanks to a $20,000.00 grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, the general public can rent Black Hole Studios for rehearsal for $20.00 an hour. Recording fees are extra and cost $50.00 an hour.

Black Hole Studios offers aspiring recording artists professional-quality audio. Geoffrey Doyle, executive director of Foothills, said, “We have brand new, top-of-the-line audio equipment and skilled audio technicians on staff that can record your performance.”

The Loft is another Foothills rehearsal and multi-use space that is also being offered at $20.00 an hour. The Loft is regularly used for film screenings, live HD broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera, birthday parties, stand-up comedy shows and anything else you can imagine.

The NYSCA grant lowers the cost of using these two facilities in fiscal year 2024 only. Help is needed to spread the word about these affordable options.

The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Foothills from hosting events for an extended period of time. Doyle and his team have been looking for new ways to reach different audiences who may not know all that is available at the Foothills.

Doyle explained, “Our center is a venue that has been reliant on bringing people together for the last two decades.”

After an “unprecedented amount of down time” during COVID-19, Doyle said, “I was hired as executive director in August 2022.”

Currently, the Foothills hosts approximately 50 events per month, Doyle said.

Programming includes multiple private and public events, rehearsals, plus weekly uses such as the farmer’s market and New Life Church services. Common Council meetings, voting, TEDxOneonta and holiday celebrations also take place at the Foothills.

Doyle and his team want to reach more Generation Z and millennial audiences and generate other sources of revenue. With the help of his facilities manager, Doyle converted a conference room that was only used occasionally into a soundproof room where you can make a high-quality demo tape, do voice overs or record a radio advertisement.

Doyle said, “We call it Black Hole Studios, as there are no windows or natural light sources.”

Doyle came to Oneonta 24 years ago to attend SUNY Oneonta’s Music Industry Program. He is a musician himself, with a deep understanding of the industry and all the technological advances of the necessary equipment.

Doyle hired eight SUNY Oneonta interns to assist his team in fulfilling the diverse needs of customers for the numerous events it delivers every month.

He said, “Big, expensive recording studios are becoming a thing of the past. The availability of a lot of new technologies led to the trend of bedroom recording artists.”

Black Hole Studios offers acoustics that are far superior to that of the home environment. Stand-up comics, bands, solo artists, aspiring recording artists and podcasters can all benefit from skilled audio technicians on staff who can capture performances on audio.

Video services are also available from a local company that partners with Foothills.

To see the new video about Black Hole Studios and The Loft, or for more information about the variety of events and artists being featured, follow Foothills on Facebook: (20+) Foothills Performing Arts & Civic Center | Facebook.

For a list of services and gear, visit: https://www.foothillspac.org/black-hole-studios/