New owner, new chapter for Infinity Hall

NORFOLK — A Fairfield-based live entertainment company acquired Infinity Music Hall & Bistro in Norfolk and Hartford on Thursday, April 4, for an undisclosed price. 

Company officials said under the ownership of GoodWorks Entertainment, the 350-seat, circa 1883 Norfolk venue, soon to be re-branded GoodWorks Infinity, aims to build on the concert hall’s past successes as it looks to expand the concert schedule by bringing in a younger audience and up-and-coming bands. 

 “Infinity in Norfolk is unique and everything there is going to remain the same. Hartford will be seeing a lot more changes,” said Tyler Grill, CEO and co-founder of GoodWorks Entertainment. 

“We’re keeping the restaurant the same, and all the staff is staying. It’s a really great team there. It’s like a family, and it’s been that way for a decade,” he said on Sunday, having earlier in the day attended a family program at Infinity with his wife and two young children, ages 6 and 4. 

There will, however, be “large efforts” to expand programming and marketing the venue, said Grill. 

“Not only will there be more blockbuster standing-room-only shows, we also will be providing opportunities for developing local bands.”

 Already, upcoming Infinity shows appear on GoodWorks Entertainment’s website. 

“There was a lot of programming that was scheduled prior to our purchase. We just jumped into a fire on Thursday, the day we took ownership,” said Grill.

Norfolk First Selectman Matthew Riiska said he is looking forward to supporting the new owner as the music hall enters its next act. 

“It’s a beautiful venue with a lot of history, and while [former owner] Dan Hincks will be missed, it sounds like he’s picked out a good new owner. I am looking forward to meeting and working with the new owner, and doing everything I can to help make it a success.” 

The music hall, known for its intimate atmosphere, architectural beauty and outstanding acoustics, has drawn well-known artists to its stage over the decades, among them Kenny Rankin, Don McLean, Melissa Manchester, Rusted Root and Richie Havens. 

Benefits to local charities

The GoodWorks mission represents “a new approach for the live music entertainment industry,” David Rosenfeld, company co-founder, said in the announcement of the sale. “Our business model is based on community-building and giving back. We will be partnering with the community to enhance cultural growth by hosting an ongoing series of events called Concerts for Good to benefit local charities.”

 In 2018, according to the company, 10 Concerts for Good events raised more than $60,000 for Fairfield County charities.

GoodWorks entertainment has been the exclusive talent buyer for Fairfield Theatre Company for more than a decade. It is also a preferred promoter and talent buyer for 10 regional venues.

Hincks, who purchased the Norfolk building in 2007 and built the concert hall and bistro and then a second venue in Hartford, said in the statement that music lovers throughout the region will be the big winners.

“I could not be happier that the special music venues that we have built will be managed by a growing Connecticut-based entertainment company with a long track record of success that is also socially conscious and community minded. I fully expect that GoodWorks Infinity will take what we’ve established to the next level.”

Historic and lovely

Over the years the historic Norfolk building, built in 1883, has had several names and uses. Originally called the Norfolk Village Hall and the Norfolk Opera House, it hosted vaudeville and theatrical shows until the 1940s. 

It served for several decades as a restaurant and grocery before being shuttered for several years. The building was brought back to life by Maura Cavanaugh and Richard Smithies in the late 1990s and renamed Greenwoods Theater. Further renovation to the building’s interior and exterior was done by Hincks after he purchased it in 2007, when it was renamed Infinity Hall, and later Infinity Music Hall & Bistro.