TCU students will get the chance to check out the new music center’s dedication to an internationally acclaimed pianist in the near future.
Elizabeth Deegan, who oversees the construction of the new building, said TCU’s music center will be completed in Fall 2020, aiming to attract future Horned Frogs who desire to enroll in the music program.
“We must be competitive in attracting the most talented young musicians to come to TCU,” said Richard Gipson, the interim dean of the college of fine arts. “TCU Music Center will increase the national visibility and be able to draw attention to the stellar worth of their community and to the music faculty.”
A $10 million contribution from donors helps honor pianist Van Cliburn’s impact on music. Cliburn, who died in Fort Worth in 2013, performed for every U.S. president from Harry Truman to Barack Obama.
In addition to the Van Cliburn Hall, which will hold 700 seats, a small museum will celebrate Cliburn’s personal impact on musicians.
Gipson said the center is a solution to decreasing class space availability in Ed Landreth Hall.
“It will release some of the enormous pressures presently on our overstressed facilities currently shared by the School of Music, Department of Theatre and the School of Dance,” Gipson said.
The project is on time and budget, so no delays are expected in the construction process, according to Gipson.