The Conrad Prebys Music Center (CPMC) is a music center on the campus of the
University of California San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...
. It houses the university's Department of Music, and is anchored by the 380-seat Concert Hall, in addition to the 144-seat Recital Hall and an Experimental Theater with a variable digital acoustics system and adjustable seating.
History
From 1975 to 2009, the UC San Diego music department had been housed primarily in the
Mandeville Center. But because the central
Mandeville Auditorium had been designed as an all-purpose venue to accommodate a large variety of functions, the 750-seat hall was not designed for contemporary music performance.
Financing for a new Music Center was approved by the UC System in late 2006, and construction began in 2007. The $53-million Music Center was completed in May 2009 after receiving two donations totaling $9 million from local
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
Conrad Prebys
Conrad Prebys (August 20, 1933 – July 24, 2016) was a property developer and philanthropist based in San Diego, California.
Prebys was born on August 20, 1933, in South Bend, Indiana, and graduated from Indiana University. He moved to San Diego ...
. The building was constructed from the inside out, designed by architects Mark Reddington and Wendy Pautz of
LMN Architects
LMN is an American architecture firm based in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded in 1979, and provides planning and design services to create convention centers, cultural arts venues, higher education facilities, commercial and mixed ...
in Seattle and renowned acoustician
Cyril M. Harris, in consultation with then chair of the music department,
Rand Steiger.
Conrad Prebys Concert Hall
The centerpiece of the Music Center is the 380 seat Concert Hall. The hall's interior is an asymmetrical system of triangular wood and plaster surfaces that fold around the room in order to diffuse sound throughout the space. The acoustics of the Concert Hall was the final project of acoustician
Cyril M. Harris' career, who retired following the completion of the hall.
The first event to take place at the CPMC Concert Hall occurred on May 8, 2009, with a
gala
Gala may refer to:
Music
* ''Gala'' (album), a 1990 album by the English alternative rock band Lush
* Gala (singer), Italian singer and songwriter
*'' Gala – The Collection'', a 2016 album by Sarah Brightman
* GALA Choruses, an association of ...
concert featuring works by UC San Diego faculty
Rand Steiger,
Philippe Manoury
Philippe Manoury (born 19 June 1952) is a French composer.
Biography
Manoury was born in Tulle and began composition studies at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris with Gérard Condé and Max Deutsch. He continued his studies from 1974 to 1 ...
,
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
winners
Roger Reynolds
Roger Lee Reynolds (born July 18, 1934) is an American composer. He is known for his capacity to integrate diverse ideas and resources, and for the seamless blending of traditional musical sounds with those newly enabled by technology. Beyond com ...
and
Anthony Davis
Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (born March 11, 1993), nicknamed "AD" and "the Brow", is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Davis, a Power forward (basketball), power f ...
, and
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
recipient
Lei Liang
Lei Liang (Chinese: 梁雷; pinyin: Liáng Léi; born November 28, 1972, in Tianjin, China) is a Chinese-born American composer who was a winner of the Grawemeyer Award and a Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music. He is Chancellor's Distingu ...
.
Awards
The Music Center was awarded the 2009
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...
Seattle Chapter Commendation Award, 2009
McGraw-Hill
McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...
Construction Publishing's Best Higher Education/Research Facility in Southern California, and the 2010
San Diego Architecture Foundation Orchids & Onions' Grand Orchid designation.
See also
*
Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center
The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, also known as The Conrad, is a concert Hall, concert hall in La Jolla, a community of San Diego, California. It was opened in April 2019 and serves as the permanent residence of the La Jolla Music Society ...
References
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
University of California, San Diego
Performing arts centers in California
Culture of San Diego
Buildings and structures in San Diego