February 12 1999
Preliminary site work has already begun on the $9.5-million addition and remodeling project, which will add 52,000 square feet to the existing building. The project, which attaches a new wing to Murphy Hall on the southeast corner, is scheduled to be completed in phases with the addition finished by May 2000, the opera and musical theatre complex by August 2000, and the music education and music therapy complex by December 2000.
Speakers for the ceremony include KU Chancellor Robert E. Hemenway; Provost David E. Shulenburger; Peter G. Thompson, dean of the School of Fine Arts; William J. Crowe, dean of libraries; Robert E. Foster, professor of music and dance; Shannon de l'Etoile, Lawrence doctoral candidate in music therapy; and Jeremy Dewey, Seward senior in journalism.
A reception in the lobby immediately following the program will feature music by the KU Jazz Combo I.
"This ceremony is a very special occasion marking the beginning of a much needed and long-awaited addition to the home of the academic programs in music at the University of Kansas," Anderson said.
The addition to Murphy Hall will contain three rehearsal halls, the music library, a computer technology center, classrooms, offices for instrumental ensemble directors and some applied faculty, a recording studio, a sheet music library for instrumental music, an instrument storage and repair area, and a variety of other spaces.
"The building will have exceptional acoustical properties, allowing instruction for instrumental ensemble performance in appropriate musical circumstances to take place for the first time in decades," Anderson said.
The new library will be the largest single component of the new building at almost 12,000 square feet. It will house books, scores, audio and video recordings, and microforms. It will be used by the entire music and dance faculty and all 570 music and dance majors. The largest of the new rehearsal rooms, at 4,800 square feet, will be used for rehearsals by large instrumental ensembles. The room will also be used for high-quality recording due to its proximity to the new recording studio.
A medium rehearsal room will be 2,400 square feet and will be one of the most versatile spaces in the new building. The room will accommodate band, orchestra, and choral rehearsals, conducting classes, performance-based music education classes, lectures, and many other types of instruction.
A small rehearsal room is intended as a specialized space to accommodate the ensembles of KU's award-winning jazz program. The room is 1,000 square feet in size and will have acoustical characteristics that will accommodate the significant volume of sound generated by the jazz groups.
The 1,240-square-foot computer technology center will house 32 workstations and an instructor's space.
In addition to the new wing being built, several areas in the existing building will be remodeled.
The opera and musical theatre complex is composed of several spaces that total almost 4,800 square feet. The largest of these components will be a 2,400-square-foot black box theater.
The music education and music therapy complex is about 4,200 square feet in size and will include a model music education classroom, a general music instruction classroom, large and small music therapy clinical spaces, an acoustics laboratory, research spaces and faculty offices. These programs are currently located in Bailey Hall.
Architects for the project are Horst, Terrill & Karst Architects, P.A., Topeka; acoustical consultants are Robert F. Mahoney & Associates, Boulder, Colo.; mechanical and electrical consultants are Latimer, Sommers & Associates, P.A., Topeka; and the structural engineering consultants are Finney & Turnipseed, P.A., Topeka. The general contractor is the Law Company, Inc., Wichita.
The Murphy Hall groundbreaking ceremony is free and open to the public.