Lifestyle Profiles
Cultural Cornerstones
The arts are an integral part of Innovista, and sitting side by side are the literal and figurative pillars of the University’s commitment to culture: the Koger Center for the Arts and the School of Music. A block away are the Colonial Life Arena—home to Carolina Gamecocks basketball, concerts, the circus, and even NBA preseason games—and the Carolina Coliseum, where the Columbia Inferno professional hockey team plays. Together the four facilities form Innovista’s cultural and entertainment hub.
The Koger Center is one of the finest venues in the state and the Southeast and has hosted such international performers as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna Boys Choir, and the Bolshoi Ballet. It is also home to the South Carolina Philharmonic and the Columbia City Ballet.
Performances by and for students
Koger also works closely with the University to showcase its students’ many talents.
The University Dance Company performs there six times a year,
including collaborative performances in 2006 and 2007 with several top members of the New York City Ballet.
Carolina Productions, the student-run organization in charge of campus events, also uses the
Koger to host speakers and musical acts that are open to the public. Recently, these guests
have included former “Daily Show” correspondent Mo Rocca, comedian Bob Saget,
and the bands Gym Class Heroes and Ben Folds.
Learn more about Dance and the Koger Center
Musical innovation
The School of Music is a center for musical innovation. The Southern Exposure series has brought
guest artists to the school for a new, interesting, and fun spin on traditional performances.
The concert series recently won the 2007 Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming.
The school hosts guest artists and student recitals almost every night and has ensembles that
perform throughout the school year.
“My great hope is that all the arts will receive support from the community and the
University, and that together, we’ll think about the Innovista as a really broad concept
that expands our ideas of what innovation is both in culture and the arts, and in scientific
realms,” says music professor John Fitz Rogers, who organizes the Southern Exposure series.
Learn more about Southern Exposure and the School of Music
Chamber Innovista
The University of South Carolina’s newest chamber music series, Chamber Innovista, will contribute significantly to the research and innovation district's cultural offerings. Adding vitality to Innovista’s lifestyle component, Chamber Innovista will provide a world-class collection of exciting and original chamber music performances to both the emerging creative class living and working in the district and to the entire Columbia community--all with enough variety to satisfy any taste.
Learn more about Chamber Innovista
Related Links
Columbia City Ballet
Professional company with 32 paid dancers and nearly 2,000 season members performing at Koger Center
South Carolina Philharmonic
One of Southeast’s leading orchestras with more than 100 performers
Southern Exposure New Music Series
Innovative and award-winning series from the University of South Carolina’s School of Music
University Dance Company
Undergraduate performers and dance majors studying the disciplines and principles of classical ballet, modern, and jazz
