Lizzie Swanson ‘28
News Editor
A recent email from the Provost and Dean of the College, Elliott Visonsi, informed the Holy Cross community about a new change to the Prior Performing Arts Center. Beginning on June 1, 2025, Jeffrey de Caen will assume his new position as the Nancy Savage Skinner ‘79 Director. Visconsi expressed his profound gratitude for the current Interim Director, Kyle Frisina. Since beginning her role in the Fall of 2022, Frisina has led the Prior and made large strides for increasing creative accessibility and visibility here on campus. She has also incorporated the talents of the Holy Cross community with those residing in the Worcester area. Bridging a gap between college and city, Frisina has developed the center into a place for endless creative expression.
In an interview with The Spire, Kyle Frisina described her past few years working as the Interim Director for the Prior. She reflected on this, sharing that, “whether hosting creative residencies for visiting artists, collaborating on arts-integrative activities with faculty, or responding to brilliant ideas raised by Holy Cross students, I’ve loved working to highlight the relationship between the liberal arts ethos and the creative process: experiment, gather input, discover, repeat.” Describing the Prior, Frisina added that the space is a world-class performing arts center that contributes to the broader arts ecosystem. Recounting the top moments from her time serving as Director, Frisina shared her favorite three showcases: the 2023 Spring BSU Annual Fashion Show, History Professor Ke Ren’s 2024 presentation of the Smithsonian Folkways artist No-No Boy, and the violin performance by John Gandelsman in the fall of 2024.
When asked about her future plans, Kyle shared that she plans on taking “a long-deferred year of pre-tenure leave to work on a number of projects in progress.” Afterward, she plans on returning to the English Department at Holy Cross. Frisina concluded that launching the Prior and serving as the Interim Director for the past three years has been the highlight of her career.
The PAC’s new Director, Jeffrey de Caen, currently serves as the Associate Dean for operations at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music (USC). He has been with USC since 2001, working alongside renowned organizations such as the LA Opera, LA Philharmonic, and the GRAMMY Foundation. He also represents over 20,000 staff members as the President of the USC Staff Assembly. He focuses on workplace standards, employee wellness, DEI, and sustainability. A graduate from Loyola Marymount University, he specializes in music, recording engineering, and production. He pursued further education at the Marshall School of Business at USC, College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, the University of Bonn in Germany, and the Benedictine Abbey in Solesmes, France.
A search committee, consisting of a student representative (Rhiannon Hurst ‘25, Fenwick Scholar), staff, and faculty members alike, conducted a nationwide search to fill Frisina’s role. Provost Visconsi closed his email affirming his own vote of confidence for Jeffrey de Caen, emphasizing his commitment to fostering artistic excellence at Holy Cross. The College expresses its sincerest gratitude to Kyle Frisina for her fantastic work over the past few years and is excited to welcome Jeffrey de Caen to his new position.
Featured image courtesy of LinkedIn
Leave a Reply