‘World-class’
For months, students have watched Utah State University’s newest building rise up next to the Fine Arts building and wondered what this mountain of concrete would become.
The Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall was opened to the public Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Manon Caine Russell and Kathryn Caine Wanlass, sisters who made the single largest donation in USU’s history, cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the new hall. President Stan Albrecht and members of Russell and Wanlass’s families also participated in the ceremony. Afterward, participants of the open house toured the building.
In remarks before the ribbon-cutting, Wanlass said students will benefit from USU’s first venue dedicated totally to music and the spoken word.
Those most closely impacted by the addition of the hall to campus are calling it “world-class.” Music students and staff alike say they are thrilled by it.
“We’re more than a little excited about this,” said Bruce Saperston, head of the music department. “This truly is a world-class performance hall.
Yi-Fang Wang, a senior majoring in piano pedagogy, said she hoped she would get an opportunity to play in the hall.
“The sound is very good, better than the Kent Concert Hall,” she said.
Saperston said the campus has not had a venue designed for chamber music before. Vinicius Gorgati, principal architect, said the hall was designed specifically for this kind of music, which is meant to be performed by a small group of musicians in a small space.
The hall is designed to hold 421 audience members and a maximum of 22 musicians.
Kari Parkin, a sophomore majoring in violin performance, said the hall’s sound was wonderful and she was looking forward to the opportunity to perform in it. Parkin played in the hall on Thursday so technicians could fine-tune the acoustics.
“The hall has a full, rich sound,” she said. “No matter where you sit, there are no dead spots. You can hear every part and every player.”
Saperston said a good performance hall is a draw for both talented students and professional musicians, who come to perform and share their knowledge in master classes.
“It’s not going to change our education objectives,” he said. “It’s like having a finer instrument to help students improve their performing abilities.
Tom Peterson, the director of the Caine School of Arts, said the hall will represent the cornerstone of the school. He said it will improve USU overall. Saperston also said he expects the hall will improve the school.
“It’s designed acoustically to be optimal for students and performers,” Saperston said. “A lot of students will hear the music differently. I think people will find they enjoy different kinds of music, like classical, for the first time.”
Gorgati said the outside of the building was designed in agreement with the dynamics of campus.
The concrete and zinc that form the outer walls imitate the mountains that surround campus, and the exposed concrete is similar to that used in the construction of the Merrill-Cazier library.
Gorgati said the hall itself was very carefully acoustically designed. He said it was important to create a quiet space and to shape the room for the ideal distribution of sound.
To create a quiet space, Gorgati said the thick outer concrete walls exclude any outdoor noise, while isolation of machinery and careful control of vibrations minimize indoor noise.
To shape the room for optimal sound distribution, the hall is equipped with curtains and banners that can be deployed to absorb sound or withdrawn to allow it free rein, depending on the kind of performance.
The donors, Russell and Wanlass, are the founders of the Marie Eccles Caine Charitable Foundation, which has been named one of Utah’s premier giving foundations when it received the Foundation Spirit of Giving Award in 2005.
The Caine family has a history of supporting USU which goes all the way back to its beginnings.
-ella@cc.usu.edu
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