The Walker mourns the passing of a longtime friend and collaborator, Northrop Auditorium director Dale Schatzlein, who died while biking in Colorado August 31. The 58-year old served as director of the University of Minnesota performance venue since 1985. Over the years, he partnered with the Walker in bringing boundary-pushing jazz and dance artists to the Twin Cities, including Bill T. Jones, Merce Cunningham, Bill Frisell, the Ornette Coleman Quartet, a November butoh performance by Sankai Juku and a March 2007 concert by the World Saxophone Quartet, to name just a few. We at the Walker extend our sympathies to Schatzlein’s family, his life partner Emily Maltz, and our friends at Northrop.
Walker performing arts curator Philip Bither recalls his friend’s humanity, humor, aesthetic edge, and astute management of the 4800-seat venue:
“Dale was interested in so many parts of our world. At our regular lunches, our discussions on, jazz and contemporary dance–art forms we both loved–would soon morph into talk of politics, travel, Minneapolis history, biking, film, architecture and the people who made up our shared world of live art. He was a partner who the Walker could always count on, and a friend who will be greatly missed.”
A Minneapolis native, Schatzlein will be remembered at a memorial service in the Walker’s Skyline Room on Friday, September 8. The event is open to the public.