Park City Presents launches first program in partnership with Wakeman Boys & Girls Club 

BRIDGEPORT, CT – On Monday, July 24th, Park City Presents (PCP) will begin its pilot program in partnership with Wakeman Boys and Girls Club. From 10 AM to 12 PM, they will host 20-25 middle school students to learn about the technical side of music including sound engineering, lighting, and production. PCP will begin with a band performance on stage followed by a short talk. Students will then break out into 20 minute long rotating sessions to learn about each of the three aspects of running a live production. The day will come to an end with an on stage performance which the students will fully produce. 

“I am excited about the opportunity for our club scholars to gain valuable hands-on experience in the music production and audio engineering industry. Such development of talents, skills, and strengths… will make the world sit up and take notice. This partnership can ignite great careers for our young people!” 

– Shawn D. Byrd, Unit Executive Director, 

Smilow-Burroughs Clubhouse 

“We can’t wait to teach our Club Kids about different ways to work in the music industry. Partnering with Park City Music Hall will offer hands-on opportunities for learning, while also having fun!” 

– Sabrina Smeltz, CEO Wakeman Boys & Girls Club 

“At Park City Presents, we believe that our local youth will love learning about the music industry. We are very excited to be partnering with Wakeman for our Music Tech Education Programs. Our shared knowledge and experience will make for an incredibly valuable and dynamic opportunity for Bridgeport city youth. Beyond providing a fun and interactive learning environment we also hope to expose participants to a potential career path that they may have never been exposed to.” 

– John Torres, Board Chair, Park City Presents

In the fall, Park City Presents will continue to host select students for after school programs supervised by Wakeman Boys and Girls Club. The students will then get to experience hands-on production of actual shows hosted at Park City Music Hall. 

Wakeman Boys and Girls Club’s mission is to guide and inspire young people, especially those who need it most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. They do whatever it takes to ensure that every youth that walks through their doors is on the path to a great future. From their after school programs to summer camp and special events, there’s always something happening at the club.

Park City Music Hall was opened in November of 2021 and inhabits the space formerly held by The Acoustic Cafe and is owned and operated by the Torres family of Harborview Market. The space was renovated and increased in size to 3500 square feet. They have hosted countless nationally touring bands, grammy winners, living legends, and electrifying up-and-comers. The Annex, an additional 3000 square foot space directly behind their existing footprint is now open and is an area that can be utilized for VIP events, intimate acoustic pre-performance, after parties, meet & greets, and larger scale private and corporate events. 

Park City Presents received its 501(c)(3) non-profit status in 2023 whose mission is bringing music tech education programs to Bridgeport, CT. They partner with other organizations that already run youth day camps or after school programs. These programs develop skills for students ranging from sound & lighting design to full event production. These skills will provide a basis for a potential career in the arts & music industry for students and participants in the Bridgeport area. The programs will be free & include reduced-cost public shows at Park City Music Hall. They will also work with the City of Bridgeport to host outdoor community cultural events in the local parks and green spaces.

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