We were lucky to catch up with Chris Cortez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Chris thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I started Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts 8 years ago. My wife and I converted a warehouse into a small concert hall. The modest location caught on for the incredible sound and talent showcased there. A massive rent hike forced us to seek a new location and we’re presently renovating a 33,00 sq ft building in Winter Park, Fl that was the former library. The building will become a hub for the performing arts in Winter Park.

Chris, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a jazz guitarist, vocalist, recording artist, and producer. Before creating the venue I ran my own record company called Blue Bamboo Music. We supported about a dozen artists with roughly 30 national releases, which competed favorable to other jazz releases at the time, frequently going to the top of jazz radio charts.

I wanted to create a recording studio or soundstage, where an audience could come and witness the record or video being made.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

During the pandemic no audience was possible, so we took out all the tables and chairs and set up cameras around the room, with proper social distancing. Then, a single group would come in and we would film them performing for the cameras. I would spend a week mixing and editing the footage, and we released it on Sundays. The show was called First Takes, and we shot 13 episodes. The groups were paid for their performances, and our audience tuned in online to watch the shows each week.

When the audience gradually returned, many people asked me to keep the videography going, so I developed a video capture system that would provide the proper quality, shot variety, to maintain that polished, professional look we were achieving, only live. No remixing or post production. Our live-streams led to hundreds of hours of free entertainment.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

My brand has always been virtuosity. Initially, I only invited top tier musicians, but a community band came through and I saw how important it was for those people to have a place to perform. I modified our business model to include both amateurs and professionals.

One band member had an oxygen tank during a show. Another skipped her cancer treatments to be in the performance. The importance of participation can’t be overstated.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://BlueBambooArtCenter.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluebambooartcenter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluebambooartcenter
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaqspWUkOS8HfMVnvP26JSA

Image Credits

Victor Hurlburt – Chris Cortez w/acoustic guitar