AFI Names Murray Horwitz Head of AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today that Murray Horwitz has been named Director and Chief Operating Officer of the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, effective July 1, 2002. The AFI Silver is the anchor for the city-wide redevelopment effort in Silver Spring, Maryland; the three-screen complex, currently under construction, will open in the spring of 2003.
(PRWEB) March 10, 2002
MURRAY HORWITZ NAMED DIRECTOR AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OF AFI SILVER THEATRE AND CULTURAL CENTER
Horwitz to Continue at NPR as Cultural Commentator
LOS ANGELES, CA, March 7, 2002—The American Film Institute (AFI) announced
Today that Murray Horwitz has been named Director and Chief Operating Officer of the
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, effective July 1, 2002. The AFI Silver is the
Anchor for the city-wide redevelopment effort in Silver Spring, Maryland; the three-screen
Complex, currently under construction, will open in the spring of 2003.
In this new position, Horwitz will oversee all the programs, operations and outreach for
The AFI Silver—including festivals, screening series, premieres, special events and a wide
Range of educational programs. AFIÂ’s Ray Barry, who has worked closely with
Montgomery County in the renewal of the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, will
Continue to manage and develop the theatresÂ’ operations.
“Murray Horwitz comes to the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center with a remarkable
And varied body of work,” stated AFI’s Director and CEO Jean Picker Firstenberg.
“Whether he’s co-authoring an award-winning Broadway musical, working on a
Peabody-award winning radio series or writing for film and television, Horwitz has
Consistently demonstrated a keen ability to produce quality arts programs that reach an
Audience. These same qualities will prove invaluable in the shepherding of the AFI Silver
Theatre and Cultural Center, which is dedicated to artists, educators, and audiences of the world.”
NPR also announced today that Horwitz—currently Vice President for Cultural
Programming at NPR—will remain with the network on a part-time basis, as a cultural
Commentator, and will continue to contribute occasional on-air pieces to NPR News and
Cultural programming.
"Murray Horwitz is an American cultural treasure—multi-talented, funny, wise and totally entertaining in his encyclopedic knowledge of culture," said Kevin Klose, NPR president.
"He will be a superb leader for AFI in its trail-blazing commitment to bring the best of
Film, video and new media to audiences here and around the nation. We are delighted
That our longtime cultural leader—who happens to be one of public radio's great
Storytellers—will be on NPR's air for us all."
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center Page 2
“It’s hard to put into words how excited I am by this new opportunity,” Horwitz said. “To
Get a chance to demonstrate the essential role of culture in community development is a
Rare opportunity. Montgomery CountyÂ’s commitment, led by County Executive Douglas
Duncan, is a model of how the arts and public service go hand-in-hand. Ray Barry and I
Will bring audiences from all parts of the District, Maryland and Virginia to Silver
Spring—not only to show them movies, but also to demonstrate the deep and lasting
Effect the art of the moving image has had on people and cultures everywhere. ItÂ’s
Immensely gratifying to be able to take on this task under the auspices of a signal
National institution—AFI—and to be able to continue the on-air association with another
One—my beloved NPR.”
Horwitz has had an extraordinary career in the performing arts, beginning with three
Years as a clown in the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus. A graduate of Kenyon
College, Horwitz is the originator and co-author of AinÂ’t MisbehavinÂ’, one of the longest running musicals in Broadway history. In addition to Tony, Grammy and New York
Drama Critics Circle awards for that show, Horwitz has received two Peabody Awards
For his work at NPR—one for the series Making the Music (a collaboration with trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis) and the other for The NPR 100, which highlighted the 100 most significant American musical works of the 20th century. Horwitz has written for the motion picture community, directed network television programs and acted on the stage, screen and television. He wrote song lyrics for John Harbison’s opera, The Great Gatsby, which is returning the Metropolitan Opera next month.
About the AFI Silver
Created by the citizens of Montgomery County, Maryland, the AFI Silver Theatre and
Cultural Center is dedicated to artists, educators and the audiences of the world. The
Mission of the AFI Silver is to present the richness of American and world cinema, to
Explore all forms of the moving image in the digital era, and to understand the screen
Itself as a source of literacy, learning and vision for the future. AFI is the preeminent
Organization dedicated to advancing and preserving the art of film, television and other
Forms of the moving image. AFI presents the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival
And the AFI National Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. More
Information about AFI can be found at www. AFI. com.
About NPR
Renowned for journalistic excellence and standard-setting news, information and cultural programming, NPR serves a growing audience of more than16 million Americans each week via more than 644 public radio stations. NPR Online at www. npr. org brings hourly newscasts, news features, commentaries and live events to Internet users through original online reports, audio streaming and other multimedia elements. NPR also distributes programming to listeners in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa via NPR Worldwide, to military installations overseas via American Forces Network, and throughout Japan via cable.
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Press Contacts:
For AFI
Rachel Peller Heffron
323.856.7667
Rpeller@AFI. com
For NPR
Jessamyn Sarmiento
202.513.2307
Jsarmiento@NPR. org
