A dedication to sound:
The Van Cliburn Concert Hall
A dedication celebration Thursday night at the Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU marked the beginning of an era.
Live music was performed in the hall for the first time, as donors, trustees, administrators and professors gathered for a private performance hosted by a myriad of TCU music ensembles.
At one point, an opera singer performed an aria from the balcony while the wind symphony and jazz studio played together on stage.
“It’s an amazing night in the history of Texas Christian University,” Chancellor Victor Boschini said. “I want to thank all of the donors that made this possible. This music center, especially the Van Cliburn Hall have been an amazing addition to TCU. This building is built to have a 100 year lifespan, so imagine the thousands of students and faculty who will perform and work in this space.”
For years the TCU School of Music was limited to the acoustic qualities of the century-old Ed Landreth Hall, and later PepsiCo Recital Hall.
The Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU was scheduled to open in September 2020. But when supply chain issues delayed construction, the hall was starved of music for nearly two years. TCU even used it to hold science classes in the fall of 2021.
In March, the construction of the hall was finally complete.
School of Music administrators have worked closely with acousticians to make the Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU and the TCU Music Center unlike any other.
“A hall like this just doesn't exist anywhere in Fort Worth right now.”
Unique planning took the TCU Music Center to new heights. Practice and ensemble rooms were constructed as separate buildings within the encapsulating music center, a special design intended for soundproofing.
Inside the Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU, there are 717 seats — all are the best seats in the house.
Second to none
The sounds inside the hall
The acoustics were thought out down to the grain of wood.
The hall can adjust its acoustics so the audience can hear everything from the quietest sounds to cacophonies.
The control room has the means to achieve this without the audience realizing. Hidden behind acoustically transparent walls, curtains surrounding the hall are deployed to absorb sound. And hanging from the ceiling are cloud tiles that create the illusion of space. When tilted up, the hall can sound two to three times bigger than it actually is.
“What that allows you to do is make all those acoustic changes, but from the audience's perspective, you'll never know the difference,” Atkinson said. “The hall will just sound different and sound great.”
This gives the hall an unrivaled dynamic atmosphere.
“The acoustics were just phenomenal,” said senior marketing major and TCU SGA president Lau’Rent Honeycutt.
Not many students were in attendance Thursday, as the main purpose of the night was to thank those involved in developing the building, but those who performed could feel excitement growing with every applause.
“It was just so much fun,” said Wesley Vaughn, a choir member and senior music education student. “Everyone was so involved and so passionate about this hall and what Van Cliburn stood for. I’m so excited for TCU to get to use this for years to come.”
Van Cliburn, a 20th century American pianist, had close ties to TCU. The first Van Cliburn International Piano Competition was held in 1962 at TCU. Now, his name is cemented on campus for at least another century.
The opening of the hall also marks the return of the early rounds of competition to TCU's campus.
“I’ve played in the Meyerson [Symphony Center] and Bass Hall, the big halls in the area, and I want to say it’s definitely up there with those professional halls,” said Jesus Garcia, a senior music performance student who plays french horn in the wind symphony.
The acoustics were designed by Acoustic Distinctions, the same firm that worked on the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas.
“It honestly feels like you’re part of something really big, almost like you’re in a professional symphony,” said Garcia.
Outside of the Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU after the show Thursday, April 8, 2022. (JD Pells/Executive Editor)
Outside of the Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU after the show Thursday, April 8, 2022. (JD Pells/Executive Editor)
The list of Seat Campaign donors. (JD Pells/Executive Editor)
The list of Seat Campaign donors. (JD Pells/Executive Editor)
Scenes from after the show Thursday, April 7, 2022. (JD Pells/Executive Editor)
Scenes from after the show Thursday, April 7, 2022. (JD Pells/Executive Editor)
The grand opening came close to midway through TCU’s Lead On fundraising campaign. With 14 months remaining, TCU is about 233 million shy of its $1 billion goal.
The $10 million concert hall is part of the $53 million TCU Music Center, which provides more than 7,500 square feet of rehearsal space and learning resources for TCU’s band, orchestra and percussion programs.
Names can be engraved on the gold plates on the armrests of the 717 seats for a donation of $2,000 to $10,000 as part of the Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU Seat Campaign.
The celebration continues this week and next week, with performances from percussion ensembles, Frog Corps, TCU Wind Symphony, TCU Orchestra and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. To view a full list of events, visit the TCU Fine Arts website.
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