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John C. Borden Auditorium, the School’s main performance
space with 846 seats, houses a stage completely equipped to accommodate
opera productions, symphony orchestra concerts, and chamber recitals,
as well as jazz concerts. The auditorium, completed in 1931 in the
Art Deco style and refurbished in 1991, still retains its high wood
wainscot and Art Deco metalwork, exit lamps, and fluted wall decoration.
Its foyer is reminiscent of the lobby designed by the architects
of the Empire State Building and includes the capability for closed
circuit television, which provides a live feed of the performance
for latecomers.
John C. Borden Auditorium was named for Mr. Borden, who served
as the head of Manhattan School of Music’s board of trustees
for two terms until his death in 1960. The auditorium was the gift
of the Mary Owen Borden Foundation, which was established by Bertram
H. Borden in memory of his wife. Mary Owen Borden was a member of
the School’s board of trustees from 1928 until her death in
1933, and Bertram H. Borden was a member of the board of trustees
from 1933 until his death in 1956.
The Gordon K. & Harriet Greenfield Hall, an intimate space
seating 281, is well suited for chamber music concerts and solo
recitals. Renovated in 2002 and designed by the architect Byron
Bell of Bell Larson Raucher Architects, the restored interior is
painted in shades of blue with white trim, echoing the hall’s
original Edwardian design. Moldings from around the ceiling over
the stage area were recast from the original moldings and are exact
replicas. One of the hall’s signature features is a stained-glass
window allowing for natural lighting, and its original double door
has been reopened, providing a gracious entry into the foyer. Greenfield
Hall is also home to the School’s numerous master classes,
rehearsals, and lectures. The hall is equipped with an extended
stage area, new lighting, enhanced acoustics, and central air conditioning.
In addition, it is outfitted with a newly integrated audio system
that provides for enhanced speech intelligibility for master class
settings, remote recording, and stereo playback. The hall is also
equipped with videoconferencing capabilities in support of institutional
distance learning activities.
The Gordon K. & Harriet Greenfield Hall, formerly known as
Hubbard Hall, was renamed in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Greenfield in
November 2002. Mr. Greenfield, a member of the school’s board
of trustees from 1964–1998, as well as its chairman from 1981
to 1994, now holds the title of Trustee Emeritus.
Charles Myers Recital Hall seats approximately 35 people and was
named in honor of alumnus Charles Myers (Class of 1964/65). It was
built with funds from his estate as well as a major contribution
from his cousin, Blake Byrne. State-of-the art acoustical treatment
makes it an ideal hall for recording and jazz concerts. Adjacent
to this hall is the Charles Myers Recording Studio, which is equipped
to remotely record concerts, recitals, lectures and events held
in Charles Myers Recital Hall as well as in all of the School’s
other major performance venues.
Manhattan School of Music has two additional spaces used for student
recitals, rehearsals, classes, and lectures. Carl and Lilly Pforzheimer
Hall seats approximately 50 people and was named in their memory
by their daughter, Mrs. John E. Long, and their grandchildren, Mrs.
Jerome O’Brien, Mrs. David Leinbach, and Mr. James Long.
New Spaces
In February 2007, Manhattan School of Music announced the completion
of construction, begun in 2000, to enhance the School’s campus.
The recently completed spaces are the Peter Jay Sharp President’s
Residence, and two state-of-the-art performance spaces: the William
R. and Irene D. Miller Recital Hall and the Alan M. and Joan Taub
Ades Performance Space. The new spaces complete the final phase
of construction that was first made public in 2000. At that time,
it was announced that a multi-use facility on the north side of
the building on a plot of land that had been vacant for more than
thirty years would be built. This building was targeted to include
badly needed dormitory space, a new library, practice rooms, an
apartment for the School’s president, and two new performance
spaces.
Manhattan School of Music broke ground in April 2000 and in October
2001 the G. Chris and SungEun Andersen Hall was inaugurated, followed
by the Peter Jay Sharp Library and Evelyn Sharp Performance Library,
which opened in the fall of 2004. Beyer Blinder Belle has been the
architectural firm spearheading the design from the beginning of
this $70 million project.
Robert Sirota, President of Manhattan School of Music states, “The
Miller Recital Hall at MSM will be home to our most high profile
faculty and student solo and chamber music concerts, as well as
a place for distinguished visiting artists to give master classes
and perform concerts. With the Ades Performance Space, the School
now has a multipurpose flexible space for various and more informal
performances of all kinds, from theatrical presentations to classical
and jazz concerts, as well as added rehearsal space for large ensembles.”
“With the completion of the Miller Recital Hall, the Ades
Performance Space and the
President’s apartment, Manhattan School of Music – for
the first time in its history – is able to enjoy a fully-realized
campus community,” said Richard W. Southwick, AIA, partner-in-charge
of the project for Beyer Blinder Belle. “Finally housed under
one roof, these new facilities fill a large number of the school’s
needs, providing within Andersen Hall student dorms and practice
rooms, a state-of-the-art music library, and two new extraordinary
performance spaces.”
David A. Rahm, Chairman of Manhattan School of Music’s Board
of Trustees, who has been involved with the project since its inception,
states, “We are delighted to celebrate the completion of the
most important addition to the campus of the Manhattan School of
Music in over 75 years. The opening of the Sharp President’s
Residence, Miller Recital Hall, and Ades Performance Space represents
the culmination of twenty years of efforts by the School to take
advantage of the splendid asset of a vacant one-half acre, which
the School acquired upon taking title to the Manhattan School facilities
in the late 1960s. The support and generosity of the School’s
dedicated trustees enabled us at last to undertake the major portions
of the planned expansion in the period from 1996 to 2001, opening
the residence hall and office portions in August 2001. Since that
time, we have been working to design and develop the remaining artistic,
academic and residential portions of the building. Their completion
is a thrilling event in the history of this magnificent institution.
These facilities will help us in immeasurable ways to carry out
our mission: developing the great musicians of tomorrow and generations
to follow.”
The two new state-of-the-art performance spaces—the William
R. and Irene D. Miller Recital Hall and the Alan M. and Joan Taub
Ades Performance Space—were designed as performing spaces
for the 21st-century with forward thinking technological infrastructure
that is groundbreaking for a conservatory. Both spaces are wired
with Internet2 technology that will enable the School to share performances
with audiences here and abroad through its Distance Learning program
and web casting. Both spaces have the capability for video projection
with motorized screens available. Students and faculty will now
have the ability to incorporate multi-media components in their
recitals and to be more creative in their programming. In addition,
the Ades Performance Space will have the capability for surround
sound.
Richard Southwick, from Beyer Blinder Belle, was the chief architect
for the new performance spaces. The audio/visual designer was Sound
Associates, Inc., the same company Manhattan School of Music worked
with in April 2005 to implement the sound equipment for the Boulez/IRCAM
Residency, which featured twenty loudspeakers flown, to create the
required surround sound in the School’s main auditorium. The
acoustical designer is Sam Berkow of SIA, Inc.
William R. and Irene D. Miller Recital Hall
An intimate jewel box space of 1775 square feet with seating for
153, this space provides a rare immediacy for both performer and
listener, with its thrust stage flanked by seating platforms at
the same level. The Miller Recital Hall is appointed with African
bosse wood at the stage and house partitions and fabric-wrapped
acoustic panels on the walls and ceiling. The hall is outfitted
with a sophisticated lighting system, audio amplification, and multimedia
projection and is linked to the School’s central recording
studio. It will be a home to performances by the School’s
distinguished faculty, and by its most accomplished student musicians.
William R. Miller, a board member of Manhattan School of Music
for the past sixteen years, and his wife, Irene Diaman Miller, are
dedicated to the arts, education, science, and the environment.
Through the Miller Family Foundation, they have contributed to many
organizations throughout the United States.
Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades Performance Space
A multi-faceted space that will be able to accommodate events ranging
from orchestral rehearsals, opera workshops, to musical theater,
chamber music and jazz performances, the space is 2080 square feet
and as a performance space can accommodate up to 215 persons. The
space is equipped with multiple lighting and audiovisual positions,
has a floating floor for dance, and a pair of technical balconies
for additional performance possibilities.
Manhattan School of Music trustee Alan M. Ades and his wife, Joan
Taub Ades, have played a vital role in the field of philanthropy
throughout the United States. Their significant contributions to
the arts and education have touched the lives of countless people.
They have been longtime dedicated patrons to Manhattan School of
Music and in particular have been generous supporters of scholarships
for vocalists.
Peter Jay Sharp President’s Residence
In August 2006, President Sirota and his wife, Vicki, moved into
the Peter Jay Sharp
President’s Residence, located atop the 19-story Andersen
Hall. The 3000 square foot apartment provides living space for the
school’s president, and, as an extension of the office, entertaining
space for the institution. The residence boasts a wraparound terrace
overlooking Grant’s Tomb, Riverside Church, the George Washington
Bridge and the
Hudson River, with expansive views to the west, north and south
– some of the best that
New York City has to offer. The Peter Jay Sharp and Evelyn Sharp
Foundations’ legacy of involvement at Manhattan School of
Music has helped solidify this institution’s stature as a
world leader in music education.
Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners
Founded in 1968, Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners
LLP is a highly collaborative international practice of 175 professionals
in New York City, Washington, DC, and Beijing, China. The firm is
recognized for expertise in diverse areas of architecture and for
the careful yet creative integration of new buildings into sensitive
urban sites. Notable projects in the New York region, past and present,
include Grand Central Terminal, The Rubin Museum of Art, Ellis Island
Museum of Immigration, Mark Morris Dance Center, The Morgan Library
& Museum (with Renzo Piano Building Workshop) and Princeton
University’s Master Plan. Elsewhere in the U.S., select projects
include the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville and a major new science
building at Indiana University School of Medicine. Current international
commissions include the Shanghai Cultural Plaza in China —
a significant new park and 2,000 seat theater — and the Red
Star Line Emigration project, which will transform the original
buildings of Antwerp’s famous Red Star Line into an international
heritage site.
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