Remodeled Ward Auditorium reopens with concert Sept. 25
Janel Shoun |
Ward Auditorium, which has played host to hundreds of international musicians as well as music students through the years, will debut a brand new look and improvements to benefit both audiences and performers on Monday, Sept. 25.
A free concert of Bach, Beethoven and Brahms and a following reception will usher in Ward’s lovely new interior, including plush new seating, a new sound system, new aisle lighting and stylish wood trim and veneers. The concert will begin at 8 p.m.
“Our performers have always been very pleased with the acoustics and the intimacy of Ward Hall,” said Jerome Reed, Lipscomb professor of music and director of Lipscomb’s Artist Series, which brings prominent international musicians to Nashville audiences each year. “But the aesthetics of the venue had worn down over the years. So we wanted to take our acoustically pleasing venue and make it visually pleasing as well.”
Over the years, Ward has played host to world-class musicians such as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, fortepianist Malcolm Bilson., jazz pianist Marian McPartland, and Anonymous 4. It has been used by the local community as a regular meeting spot for the Nashville Area Music Teachers Association.
The $200,000 renovation this summer, has transformed Ward, originally constructed as a lecture hall in 1966, into a performance hall, with more stage area, a green room for performers and better lighting on the stage. The renovated Ward Auditorium, which seats 250, will be the home for the Artist Series’ 2007-08 season and will host events for local music teachers and their students, said Reed, a pianist who will perform at the Sept. 25 debut Faculty & Friends Concert.
The Ward renovation is part of Lipscomb’s overall goal to reach out to the community more than ever before. Improving the hall not only benefits students, who will still attend lectures and perform recitals in Ward, but it also benefits the community at large, who appreciate the concerts offered at Lipscomb and use the space for music events, said Reed.
“We are very happy that Lipscomb President Randy Lowry recognized the value of upgrading Ward Auditorium for the future,” said Marcia Hughes, chair of the Lipscomb music department. “These aesthetic improvements will build on the existing acoustic excellence in Ward, enhancing our ability to bring even more exciting performers to the Nashville community.”
Future audiences will not only notice the changes in the hall itself – new wall sconces, carpeting and hardware – but later this year there will also be changes in the lobby, with new furniture designed to make the lobby a more comfortable place to mingle before events.
The Sept. 25 debut concert will feature Reed on piano and various members of the wind and string sections of the Nashville Symphony: Eric Gratton, flute; Dan Lochrie, clarinet; Radu Rusu, horn; Dawn Hartley, bassoon; Dewayne Pigg, oboe; Carolyn Wann-Bailey, violin; Clare Yang, viola; and Julia Tanner, cello. -Sept. 12, 2006