Joye in Aiken brings 'best of the performing arts' to locals, says festival's president

Sep. 19—Since its founding in 2008, the performing arts festival known as Joye in Aiken has brought more than 600 musicians, actors and dancers, primarily from The Juilliard School in New York City, to this part of South Carolina.

It has delivered 150 performances and reached nearly 50,000 schoolchildren.

"First and foremost, we are about bringing the best of the performing arts to this community — not just good, not just impressive, but the best," said Dr. Sandra Field, president of Joye in Aiken's board of directors.

Field, Steven Naifeh and the late Greg Smith co-founded Joye in Aiken, which was initially Juilliard in Aiken.

"Juilliard is the entity that has really set the standard for us, and we strive every year to absolutely hold that standard high," Field said.

Providing access to Joye in Aiken's events to as many people as possible also is a priority.

"This is why we have our performances at venues around [Aiken County]," Field said. "We offer free and low-cost tickets, and we try to reach as diverse an audience as possible.

In addition, the leadership of Joye in Aiken is "dedicated to" making the festival "an economic engine for our community," Field continued. "We want to create a vibrant cultural climate in our area and offer the kind of high-quality entertainment that would be appealing to employers, employees and retirees. We think that this not only raises Aiken's profile but then [it also] really draws an audience from all over the country that hopefully fills restaurants, hotels and [other] local businesses."

At the heart of Joye in Aiken's mission is its outreach program, according to Field.

"Every year we send out young artists to the schools and wherever these artists are, they teach and motivate and inspire our students, some of whom have really never even a live performance," she said.

For information about Joye in Aiken, visit joyeinaiken.com.