Hall director exits Springfield stage

Morris, who was chosen as the executive director of Hammons Hall in 1989 – three years before the hall opened – announced May 18 that he is leaving Springfield to run the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts in Columbus, Ga. His last day at Hammons Hall is July 1, and his first official day at his new job is Aug. 1.

The decision to leave Springfield’s hall was not an easy one – Morris said he had not been searching for a new job.

“I’ve been here 16 years, and I have talked to other people throughout the years about other positions, and nothing has really looked like the kind of position I was very interested in,” he said. “I was approached from the headhunter for the (RiverCenter) position, and I told him I wasn’t really interested unless it was opening a new building, which is what I did here. It took three or four phone calls before I told my wife, and she said, ‘Go ahead and apply. You’re not going, but go ahead and apply.’”

But he is going. After being one of nine candidates to receive telephone interviews, he was chosen for an on-site interview.

“I guess they couldn’t find anyone better, so they picked me,” Morris said, laughing.

In reality, the headhunter wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Morris was originally contacted by Sid McQueen of McQueen and Associates, a search firm hired by the RiverCenter. McQueen and Morris had known each other from Morris’ previous job search, which landed him the job at Hammons Hall.

With the new job comes a pay raise from the approximately $76,000 Morris makes as a state employee at Hammons Hall, though Morris declined to say how much that increase will be.

A range of artists

Morris said his goal as director of Hammons Hall has been to embrace a wide variety of performing arts and expose the community to as many different styles as possible.

“We really try to offer a balanced program of artists so that, since we’re connected to the university, we’re able to tell students that this is the variety of genres that are available once they get out in the world, and they should take advantage of it while they’re here on campus,” he said.

That variety ranges from Broadway shows such as “Miss Saigon” and “Cats,” to pop and rock concerts including Matchbox 20 and Don Henley, to the BBC Philharmonic and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He calls it the whole spectrum, “from bluegrass to Bach.”

Hammons Hall Director of Marketing and Promotions Deb Gallion said that the variety is Morris’ doing.

“I think that is the hallmark of his programming and leadership for this building,” Gallion said.

Guiding light

As Hammons Hall’s only director in its 13 seasons, Morris’ influence is pervasive.

“Enoch was here before the building even existed,” Gallion said.

“He helped to get it up and rolling, and has literally been the figurehead and the head of the whole operation since it opened its doors.”

His longevity in the position is part of his nature; prior to serving as director of Hammons Hall, Morris spent nine years as director of the Givens Performing Arts Center of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Tom Black, chair of the RiverCenter search committee, said that impressive staying power was one of the qualities that drew the committee to Morris.

“His experience and longevity at those two places is impressive in a field of this kind,” Black said. “But we were also interested in the fact that our RiverCenter facility is one that is shared with the school of music at Columbus State University, which has been Enoch’s situation both in Springfield and in North Carolina.”

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