Many thanks for Richard McDonald’s March 7 op-ed, “Breathe new life into MCA.” Having lived and worked in the Bangor area in the ’70s and again in the ’80s and ’90s, I have witnessed and enjoyed the gift that the Maine Center for the Arts has been to our community, the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and the quality of life in Maine.

It has been my privilege and pleasure to serve on the BSO’s board as director and president. I have observed the orchestra’s move from Peakes Auditorium to the Opera House and ultimately to the MCA and the resulting joy the musicians found, and growth the orchestra developed in performing in this world-class hall. As the country’s oldest community orchestra the BSO is of the very best thanks in large measure to having the MCA as its home.

It has also been my privilege and pleasure to serve on the MCA’s advisory board, and as its previous president. I have enjoyed the fine performances at the MCA for the past 20 years. From opening night in 1986, featuring Isaac Stern, Yo-Yo Ma and the BSO, to JIGU! Thunder Drums of China, the last performance before it closed for renovations. The MCA has given us years of entertainment and education, and has enriched our lives with the quality of its artists and performers, and the “something for everyone” scope of its presentations.

McDonald nicely outlined the need for breathing new life into the MCA. There is an opportunity to make it better, safer, more comfortable for its patrons, more attractive and user-friendly for artists, performers and road companies, and to make it an even greater contributor to our community’s quality of life. I hope we will use this opportunity.

Mel Braverman

Bangor