The Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center (GBPAC) will kick off its new event series, HANDPICKED, with a launch party to celebrate. The event will take place in Davis Hall on Thursday, Dec. 10 at 8 p.m.

During the launch party, GBPAC will celebrate the new series by revealing the first two musical acts attached to the series. Food, drinks and merchandise will be available to purchase. The series’ name, HANDPICKED, was chosen because the staff and community members spent the summer getting feedback on which artists individuals wanted to see in the Cedar Valley.

A random selection of UNI students served on the HANDPICKED panel to help decide which acts would be brought to the GBPAC for its upcoming season.

“We sat with a group of representatives that work at the GBPAC who took the time to compile a list of potential productions and shows that they have researched,” said Molly Norman, senior communications major and member of the HANDPICKED panel. “We were asked to look at the entire list and rank those from one to five dependent on what we might find interesting solely based off of names.”

The students were then given the opportunity to to watch brief video clips of each option on the list and rank them once again.

Norman felt very fortunate to be involved in the panel.

“I was really happy with this experience, because I appreciated them taking the time to get personal opinions from students regarding how we would like to experience the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center,” Norman said. “I feel as though the future of the GBPAC looks promising and it seems to me that they plan to bring some very exciting shows.”

Several individuals were involved in putting this event together.

“This has been a special project that a few of us at Gallagher Bluedorn have been working on,” said Blake Argotsinger, associate marketing manager at the GBPAC. “I’ve been particularly passionate about this new series as these are the bands I relate to.”

Not only is Argotsinger looking forward to the launch party, but he also feels that students and the community members will benefit from it as well.

“This series will bring students greater access to bands that normally play in larger series,” Argotsinger said. “It’s important because it puts Cedar Falls on the map as a place for musicians to stop and share their music, which is great for music lovers in the area.”

Argotsinger went on to explain how this series is exciting for the GBPAC itself.

“I think it creates a stronger following of fans who go to live music,” he said. “So it’s not only important for Gallagher Bluedorn but also all the area venues who support live music in their establishments. This series is also a way to showcase the wide range of shows that can be hosted at Gallagher Bluedorn.”

Argotsinger reflected on the picking process.

“We were at the Stopover Festival at Waverly, the Mohair Pear Fair and more and received a tremendous amount of feedback,” Argotsinger said. “From those bands, we worked to find the bands that were on tour […] and would be the bands we could ‘handpick’ from our big list.”

The actual shows will be on Feb. 4 and April 7. The launch party is free and open to the public.

Anyone interested in receiving updates of the HANDPICKED series can sign up for a mailing list to be notified first of who is booked. All information can be found at gbpac.com/HANDPICKED.