About Crown Point Venues

A 42,000-square-foot building in Whispering Pines Business Park, Grass Valley, that includes:
  • an elegant acoustic concert hall
  • a flexible black box theater
  • a conference center with banquet seating for up to 300
  • a large catering kitchen adjacent to the conference center
  • and importantly, ample parking

What makes this project exceptional

  • It is an ambitious architectural undertaking by InConcert Sierra, a rural classical music presenting organization with a huge vision that has garnered noteworthy support
  • It will feature a purpose-designed acoustic concert hall, for non-amplified music
  • The arts complex will include a 150-seat dedicated theater space
  • It will also include a large conference center for corporate, private, and non-profit events, with an adjacent catering kitchen
  • Expected to open during our 2024-25 season
  • Within 36 hours of purchasing the building in March 2023, a massive snowstorm hit the area causing 14,000 square feet of the building’s roof to collapse. We’re raising the roof less than one year later
  • The project has received a $3 million specified grant from the state of California as well as substantial community support
  • The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New York, has established a collaboration with InConcert Sierra with the primary motivation of helping to ensure the future of the classical chamber music art form through the new venue

“The ICS project offers a rare acoustically designed venue for music which will be a jewel in the crown of Grass Valley. It will have great appeal to world-class artists and offer a supreme listening environment to diverse audiences. Having a venue with great acoustics is increasingly rare across the Country and this venue will become a beacon for high-quality acoustic concerts.”

-Alasdair Fraser, International Touring Musician, Educator, and Recording Artist


Often Asked Questions

Q. When do you expect to open?
A. The building is anticipated to open in 2025.

Q. Where is this new facility?
A. Its address is 125 Crown Point Court in Grass Valley, in the Whispering Pines Business Park, just up the road from our current offices. As part of the Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District, Grass Valley is a celebrated, state-recognized hub for arts and culture in California.

Q. How much will it cost?
A. Estimated cost is $18 million. We have $13.5 million in both pledges and cash on hand as of July 2024.

Q. Will InConcert Sierra keep its Third Sunday concerts?
A. Yes, and ICS will be able to expand the number and variety of our concert and education programs. We will not abandon our third Sunday (2 pm) chamber music concerts, and we will remain a classical music organization.

Q. Who is designing and building the project?
A. ICS's design team includes the building’s original contractor - Keoni Allen of Sierra Foothills Construction Company and lead architect Robert Wallis of Wallis Designs. Also included are architect Russell Davidson, Bay Area theater design consultant Rose Steele, professional acoustician William Chu, award-winning lighting designer Devin Cameron, and many other highly qualified local and regional professionals.

Q. How can I learn more?
A. Click here to see news articles about the new building. If you have more questions about the project – or wish to know how you can support it and become involved – please contact info@inconcertsierra.org.

Q. Can I have a tour of the building site?
A. Yes! We're giving tours at 1pm on selected Saturdays. Please send an email to micah@inconcertsierra.org and tell him which of the dates shown below works best for you, or click on the date itself to generate that email automatically, hit send, and we'll get it set up.

December 14th 1PM December 28th 1PM


About Our Manager

Doug Mau is an entertainment industry veteran who specializes in managing all phases of the live entertainment show production process. Mau worked with Disney Theme Park executives to develop the initial phase of “Fantasmic,” the most successful live show in the history of Disneyland. He also worked with Disney TV stars, the Imagination Movers, to develop and manage three major national tours to 2,500-5,000 seat venues. These tours were all voted Best Family Entertainment by Ticketmaster fans nationwide. Additionally, he has helped TV show producers MTV, VH1, Oxygen Network, and numerous others to manage the live show operations of more than 50 broadcast concerts. These concerts featured acts such as Bruce Springsteen, Jay Z, Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, and Coldplay. Mau has set-up and managed food, beverage, and merchandise operations for Bethel Woods Amphitheatre, entertainment operations for Club Chameleon, and show operations for Day in the Garden, Cranberry Music Fest, and Disney’s Block Party: all festivals with daily attendance to 50,000 guests. He has also assisted the nationally recognized arts organizations Martha Graham Dance Company, Manhattan Tap, Buglisi Forman Dance, Triple Arts Theatrical Arts, and British avant-garde troupe, “The Maze,” to streamline their operations and increase their income by identifying new income streams. He is the proud father of daughter Torrey, as well as his sidekick, Daisy, the Cairn Terrier. Mau loves to play ukulele and guitar, as well as cook, fish, and play golf.

Testimonials

Kind words of support for our new building project.
 
InConcert Sierra’s ambitious plans for a space with natural performance level acoustics, through which more people might enjoy classical music—and more artists employed—was already amazing. Now, with additional plans for much-needed conference facilities, a black box theatre and extensive parking, it’s a whole new deal which will put Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District on the map!
- Eliza Tudor, Executive Director,
Nevada County Arts Council
Our community currently lacks an acoustically designed concert hall, a black box theater and a ballroom/caterers kitchen designed to accommodate 300 guests for dinner. InConcert Sierra thoughtfully identified and designed their project to address our needs.

I often produce events for a variety of non-profit organizations. Our community is in great need of a banquet facility/ballroom/conference center that will accommodate 300-seats. There is no facility in the area that is available for this capacity, and none with a large kitchen to facilitate food service at events. The Crown Point Project is a venue that will economically benefit our community and allow for growth in the nonprofit and tourism sectors.
- Joey Jordan
The facility can be a great economic driver for the community as it will require a substantial amount of “out of area” participation at the venue to make it work. This brings in dollars from out of the area, where then can multiply here in Nevada County.
- Gil Mathew, Executive Director,
Nevada County Economic Resource Council
Congratulations to you, your Board, and staff on the success of your Raising the Roof event! I was truly amazed by the progress that has been achieved. Your dedication to bringing a modern event complex and music hall to our community is inspiring and will undoubtedly have a profound impact on our arts, culture, and economic vitality.
- Alison Lehman, County Executive Officer, Nevada County
It provides an opportunity, not just an economic opportunity, and not just for tourists who come to town, but it also provides an opportunity for our community to participate in the arts both as performers and as patrons and as students who want to learn about art. So, this is incredible and I thank InConcert Sierra for their persistence and patience with coming up with this proposal.
- Bob Branstrom, Councilmember,
Grass Valley City Council
Hospice of the Foothills have often found ourselves with a need for a 300-seat banquet facility/conference center for fundraising events, community presentations, and clinical education. We look forward to having such a facility in our community. The promise of a space that will help us build capacity, and enrich our community is exciting and we are in full support.
- Viv Tipton, Hospice of the Foothills
The dance community needs an affordable performance space for the numerous annual shows and weekend intensives that happen in our area, including Dance Because. The aerial community needs, at minimum, a theater space with high enough ceilings to perform our work, which does not yet exist locally. That this will be affordable to locals will also be a huge plus for Embodiment Dance Collective, Nevada City Circus, and Gold Dust Circus! InConcert Sierra's Black Box Theater will be in high demand by both the dance and aerial communities, which thrive in this area.
-Helen Fitanides, Embodiment Dance Collective
We enthusiastically support your goal of this project! We are happy to see a concert hall in our community as you have imagined. And the possibility of adding a Black Box Theatre, Conference Center, Offices, and more is icing on the cake.

In short, we believe that your proposed project would provide a major benefit to classical music lovers and indeed our whole community.
-Judith Ciphers, Board Past President, Music in the Mountains
As a parent, business owner, and a supporter of our community, I am so enthusastic about the future of Crown Point Venues. Having a facility like this in our small town is a testament to the importance of the arts and the need for a community gathering place and meeting facility.
- Heather Thorpe