About Crown Point Venues

Crown Point Venues will provide opportunities and space for the development, creation, and presentation of cultural arts; promote and support comprehensive arts education; and serve as a welcoming gathering place for conferences, meetings, and community events, to enrich the cultural, educational, and civic life of Nevada County and the surrounding region.
A 42,000-square-foot building in Whispering Pines Business Park, Grass Valley, that includes:

An elegant shoebox-style acoustic concert hall
A flexible black box theater
A conference center with banquet seating for over 300 guests
A large catering kitchen adjacent to the conference center
And... ample parking

What makes this project exceptional

This ambitious architectural undertaking by InConcert Sierra, a rural world-class music presenting organization with a huge vision has garnered noteworthy support.
The purpose-designed acoustic concert hall is inspired by the renowned shoebox-style concert halls of the world.
The concert hall will be one of only 12 in the U.S. with the shoebox design, and the only one in a rural area.
The concert hall is a premiere showcase for classical, chamber, choral, jazz, and other acoustic music, allowing audiences to experience the richness, warmth, and clarity of live performance in an intimate setting.
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York, has established a collaboration with InConcert Sierra with the motivation to ensure the future of the chamber music art form through the new venue.
The Black Box Theater will provide much-needed dedicated performance space for local theater groups. Currently, the local Nevada Theatre is the only other purpose-built theater and is so heavily booked that scheduling is determined by lottery.
Our community gap survey identified a conference center seating over 300 as one of the area's greatest needs. The tremendous number of inquiries we've received since construction began further demonstrates the demand for this space.

Three world-class venues under one roof, in the heart of the Sierra Foothills—bringing extraordinary experiences closer to home while attracting new visitors to our community.

“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. We have our sights set on presenting our 2027/28 season in the new concert hall.

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. 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 10AM 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. When emailing Micah, please include the first and last names of each member of your party, as well as the best telephone number at which to reach you.

November 21 1PM November 28 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.

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

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

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

I am genuinely enthusiastic about the development of this new venue and would be honored to return as a performing artist. The project represents a significant cultural investment in the community, and I have full confidence it will become an important destination for artists and audiences alike. I look forward to the opportunity to be part of its future programming.
- Julien Labro
Accordion, Bandoneon, Composer, Arranger

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

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

As a company rooted in Sonoma, California and known for presenting world-class Broadway theater experiences in uniquely beautiful locations, we are always seeking ways to expand our reach and deepen our impact. The Crown Point Venues project presents an extraordinary and unique opportunity—not just for Nevada County, but for regional arts organizations like ours that are looking to grow thoughtfully and meaningfully.
We are eager to explore opportunities to bring Transcendence Theater Company’s energy, artistry, and community spirit to Grass Valley. We wholeheartedly support this visionary project and look forward to being part of its future as a renter and/or collaborator.
- Brad Surosky, Executive Director
Transcendence Theater

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

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

We are all very excited about the Crown Point Venues project and the positive impact it will have on our community and the arts. We are also very much looking forward to exploring partnership opportunities with the CTE program.
- Luke Browning
Nevada Joint Union High School District, Director of CTE and State & Fed Programs

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.

The ICS project celebrates community and provides an attractive gathering place for community endeavors and outreach. It will attract visitors and investment to our community, as well as encourage growth and educational opportunities.
- Alasdair Fraser, International Touring Musician

This building will fill a significant number of arts and other community needs: create a 10,000 square foot, state-of-the-art, acoustic concert hall; a Blackbox theater; and a conference/event space with an adjoining, already existing kitchen. There are no venues such as this within a 50-mile radius that have the amenities needed to support the growth of our nonprofit sector.

I strongly support this project and think it will create a sustainable future for the Grass Valley/Nevada City arts and culture district, encourage tourism, expand city and county revenues, and provide for community vitality that will enhance our highly desirable area.
- Aimee Retzler, Executive Director, Sierra Harvest

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