Andrew Miller is the new managing director of the Flash in Kennett Square.
KENNETT SQUARE — The Kennett Flash has hired seasoned music booker and promoter Andrew Miller as its new managing director.
Miller, 38, brings two decades of experience in the music industry, and a strong background in marketing and promotions, to the position he started at the end of June.
The Flash is a 501 c (3) non-profit performing arts organization based in Kennett Square with a mission to enhance the quality of life for people of all ages through the performing arts. And music is not all that Miller hopes The Kennett Flash, under his direction, will be known for.
“I view The Flash as a community space,” said Miller, who grew up in Wilmington, Del., and returned recently to his hometown after living in Philadelphia and Brooklyn, N.Y. “There will be different kinds of programming for different people.”
On a recent Saturday afternoon, Miller greeted young musicians who were arriving at the venue to perform that night. The acts featured teenage singers and songwriters who were booked before Miller began, and as he watched them ascend the steps to The Flash, Miller talked about how he was open to ideas about performers and performances.
“The Kennett Flash is an all-inclusive venue and open to all kinds of programming,” he said. “We will be and we are more of a performing arts center.”
The Kennett Flash is at 102 Sycamore Alley in Kennett Square.
Miller, who graduated from Salesianum High School and University of Delaware, has spent his time familiarizing himself with both The Kennett Flash and its patrons. Understanding how other people view the venue is an important part of that, he said.
“It brings people into Kennett,” Miller said of The Flash. “And I’ve always thought Kennett was a cool place.”
The Kennett Flash will be introducing a revamped website and new signage with a new logo. It is an organization that relies heavily on volunteers – apart from Miller and the sound crews, everyone else is volunteering their time.
One of the things Miller hopes to do is to tap into his contacts both locally and among national and touring acts.
“One thing I’ve been doing is reaching out to local musicians I know and trying to get them in here,” he said. “I’m working on reaching out to my national contacts too.”
He described The Kennett Flash as a premier listening room, adding, “It’s going to provide a different listening experience than a bar.”
It’s easy to see Miller’s passion for music. While he was never a musician, and while he never played an instrument, his appreciation for the art has guided him through the last two decades in the music business. He began with jobs in music stores and at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, and moved on to promoting shows in Philadelphia for venues like The North Star Bar and The Khyber, and later to New York booking national tours for bands and tour managing for others.
Growing up, Miller said he was unsure what he wanted to do. From the time he was a young teenager, music had always played a big role in his life.
“I wanted it to be a big part of my life,” he said. “I willed myself to find a way to make a living doing what I love.”
More than just professionally, music has been a way for Miller to navigate through life.
“It just helps me get through, at the roughest of times – there is music to get me through,” he said. “I am grateful for the way I can connect to music.”
And Miller is hoping visitors to The Kennett Flash can connect as he did with music and other performing arts.
Upcoming shows include comedians Christine Lavin and Don White in September, “Satisfaction – The International Rolling Stones Show” in November, and musicians Steve Forbert and Mason Porter in December.
