Construction on one of the university’s most anticipated projects is set to conclude this December.
The new music education complex should have its doors opened to students by the spring semester.
According to the university’s website, TAMUK was awarded $60 million in Capital Construction Revenue Bonds from the state of Texas.
With these funds, the university was able to provide students with what will be a 90,000 square-feet facility.
This massive building nearly triples Bellamah Music Building, the original music facility, in size.
“SpawGlass is expecting to complete most of the building by the end of October. However, the performance spaces and recording studio are not scheduled to be finished until mid-December.
“Once construction is complete, there will need to be balancing and testing of all spaces for airflow, acoustics, etc…. We plan to begin offering classes in the new facility in January 2020,” Dr. Paul Hageman, chair of the music department, said.
This state-of-the-art facility will feature acoustic sensitive interiors, two performance halls and its very own recording studio.
“There will be many fantastic features in the new facility. First, the entire building is being designed with acoustical considerations driving the construction. The acoustics will be fantastic throughout the building. We will have two performance halls, a 475-seat performance hall and a 100-seat recital hall, both of which will have fantastic lighting, technology, acoustics and architecture,” Hageman said.
“There will be four rehearsal halls for our major performance areas: Band, Choir, Orchestra/Mariachi and Jazz. There will be three chamber/secondary methods halls for our chamber music program and music education classes.
“The classroom technology will be fantastic so that our learning spaces will be welcoming and appropriate to our teaching mission.
“There will also be about 40 student practice rooms for students to utilize at all times.”
Despite its grandeur, the main focus of the new music education complex is recruiting.
“I think this building has its own recruiting aura…I can only anticipate further growth before we actually move in here,” said Dolores Guerrero, Ph. D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, to the Caller Times.
In addition to developing the music education program, Hageman hopes to see the new music education complex become the epicenter of music in South Texas.
“We plan to share this facility with the campus, community and the many school districts that our music program serves.
We hope to become the center for music education in South Texas and beyond,” Hageman said. “We also plan to host more and bigger events like music festivals, competitions and conferences. We feel that, with this facility, the sky’s the limit.