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About ECPL's Performing Arts Center and Accessible Musical Performances:
Gregory L. Reese has been organizing concerts at the ECPL since 1985, beginning in the Lower Auditorium, in collaboration with Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland before the Greg L. Reese Performing Arts Center was added to the ECPL in 2005 with generous support from the Cleveland Foundation. The central focus from the start was to spotlight local artists and ensure quality programming for all.
“We wanted to bring quality entertainment to the city so everyone could enjoy the arts,” says Reese. “I love music, I’m an ex-sax player. I was trying to find ways to attract more young African American men to the library. I started strictly with jazz… We were able to attract more people who wouldn’t typically come to the library.”
As former Deputy Director (from '85 - '88) and Executive Director (from '88 - 2010), Reese's passion and dedication was and still continues to be imperative to the library's success. Since returning to ECPL as the Artistic Director of the Performing Arts Center in 2018 after retirement, Reese has continued to work on programming. In 2025, ECPL concerts featured local musicians The Band With No Name, Forecast, J.A.M. (Just About Music), Hubb's Groove & Friends, and more, with tribute concerts for iconic artists Tina Turner and Roberta Flack.
On January 11, 2026, the Cleveland Orchestra recognized the Greg L. Reese Performing Arts Center with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 2026 Service in the Arts Award at the Cleveland Orchestra’s 46th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert. In the spirit of Dr. King's legacy, the award recognizes using music and the arts to promote social justice, recognizing musicians and artists of color, improving access to music and arts education and advocating for music and the arts.
Fast Facts:
Built in 2005.
Free monthly musical performances.
Total capacity is 243 people.
Named after Gregory L. Reese, former Executive Director of ECPL.
Statement on the use of the Greg L. Reese Performing Arts Center.