Blair tunes up for sneak peek of new facilities

Photo by Neil Brake

The Blair School of Music will offer a sneak peek of its new and recently remodeled facilities Sunday, Nov 11, from 1 to 5 p.m.

by David Glasgow

One of a handful of music schools backed by the resources and support of a major university, Blair School of Music is already among a unique class combining musical training and liberal arts education. On Sunday, Nov. 11, from 1-5 p.m., the doors will open on a new era at the school as the community is welcomed for a behind-the-scenes look at the new facilities at Blair.

The open house will include performances by more than 200 faculty and students at locations throughout the building. The free event includes door prizes and special activities for children (see sidebar).

"We have an outstanding faculty dedicated to education, talented students motivated to learn, and now we have the facility to support the caliber of instruction and performance produced at Blair," said Dean Mark Wait.

The most visible addition to the building is the Martha Rivers Ingram Center for the Performing Arts. Designed by Street Dixon Rick Architecture, the soaring glass lobby and surrounding promenade help isolate the hall from outside noise while providing public space for the school. The facility is named in recognition of the support and leadership Ingram has offered the Blair School for many years. She is also chairman of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust.

With seating for 618, Ingram Hall boasts facilities capable of supporting a wide variety of productions. Tiered continental seating brings the audience as close as possible to the sights and sounds of productions in the hall. On stage, an acoustical shell creates a unique setting for symphonic or more intimate events. The venue can also comfortably host full-scale operatic and theatrical productions with an orchestra pit able to comfortably accommodate a full orchestra, fly space to raise large set pieces, a scene shop and a suite of dressing rooms.

Ingram Hall will be dedicated during the Board of Trust meeting at Blair on Friday, Nov. 9. The performance hall will then go through a tuning period where the technical and mechanical systems will be tested and acoustical adjustments made prior to the inaugural concert scheduled in January.

"The technical consultants who guided the design of the hall have urged that no concerts should be presented in the hall until at least January, and we will follow that advice," said Wait. "We look forward to Ingram Hall being an important venue for the performing arts at Vanderbilt and for all of Middle Tennessee."

Seating 286, the Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall provides a setting for more intimate performances and lectures. The Anne Potter Wilson Music Library, more than doubled in size, houses more than 60,600 books, scores and recordings. In addition to 150 journal subscriptions, students have access to state-of-the-art online services and multimedia equipment. The expanded facilities include an instrumental rehearsal hall, a choral rehearsal hall, 66 soundproof teaching studios and faculty offices, 46 practice rooms, an enlarged electronic piano lab and spacious computer-assisted ear training and composition labs.

A one-of-a-kind recording console built by systems designer John Mosely resides in a studio situated to record in both Ingram Hall and the instrumental rehearsal hall. Built to record classical music, the console boasts the ability to individually mic each instrument in an orchestra providing the clearest recordings possible.

Blair Academy was founded in 1964 as a division of George Peabody College by a bequest from Valere Potter in memory of her mother, Myra Jackson Blair. In 1981, Blair became the University's 10th school and began offering the bachelor of music degree in 1986.

With 101 faculty actively teaching, including 40 full-time, Blair maintains the ability to deliver individualized instruction. Unusual among American music schools, many faculty members teach university, pre-collegiate and continuing adult education students. Firmly founded in classical music, Blair continues to innovate with classroom offerings such as "The Performer and the Body," "Songwriting," "Latin American and Caribbean Music," "African Drumming" and "Jazz Improvisation for Strings."

Blair offers bachelor of music degrees in performance, composition and theory, and musical arts with 168 students enrolled from 37 states. The pre-college and adult programs provide instruction for more than 500 students ranging in age from 3 to 85. The school's graduates have gone on to master's and doctoral studies at more than 30 post-graduate institutions including Eastman School of Music, Cincinnati Conservatory and the Royal Academy of Music in London.

The inaugural concert scheduled for Jan. 15, 2002, will feature the Fisk Jubilee Singers.

Blair Open House Schedule of Events

Sunday, Nov. 11

1-5 p.m. Tours of the New Blair Facility

Including backstage in Ingram Hall, new rehearsal halls, library and courtyard.

1-5 p.m. Musical Petting Zoo, Instrumental Rehearsal Hall

Children of all ages are invited to explore and learn about orchestral instruments.

Performances Scheduled

1-1:40 p.m. African Drumming, Main Entrance

1:15-1:40 p.m. Blair Student String Quartet, Turner Recital Hall

1:30-1:45 p.m. Sarah Musgrave (dulcimer), Ingram Hall Promenade

1:45-2:15 p.m. Blair Woodwind Quintet, Turner Recital Hall

1:50-2:20 p.m. Blair Brass Ensembles, Main Entrance

2-2:20 p.m. Greg Siebert (guitar), Ingram Hall Promenade

2-2:30 p.m. Blair Suzuki Players, Choral Rehearsal Hall

2-2:30 p.m. Vanderbilt University Orchestra, Instrumental Rehearsal Hall

2:30-3 p.m. Blair Children's Choruses, Main Entrance

2:30-3 p.m. John Johns (guitar), Turner Recital Hall

2:30-2:50 p.m. Cathy Wylly (flute), Ingram Hall Promenade

2:30-3 p.m. Mini-Lecture on Music and Composition, Room 2190

2:40-3:10 p.m. Blair Operatic Trio, Choral Rehearsal Hall

3-3:20 p.m. Josh McGuire (guitar) & Alison Maloof (flute), Ingram Hall Promenade

3-3:30 p.m. Kindermusik Storytime, Instrumental Rehearsal Hall

3:10-3:40 p.m. Blair Student Saxophone Quartet, Main Entrance

3:15-3:45 p.m. Operetta, Turner Recital Hall

3:20-3:50 p.m. Student Sampler, Choral Rehearsal Hall

3:50-4:20 p.m. Blair Student Harp Ensemble, Main Entrance

4-4:25 p.m. Fiddle Frenzy, Instrumental Rehearsal Hall

4-4:30 p.m. Student Piano Duo, Turner Recital Hall

4-4:30 p.m. Blair Student French Horn Quartet, Choral Rehearsal Hall

4:30-5 p.m. Dulcimer Quartet, Instrumental Rehearsal Hall

4:30-5 p.m. Blair Chamber Choir, Main Entrance

4:35-5 p.m. Blair Pre-College Sampler, Choral Rehearsal Hall

4:35-5 p.m. Blair Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble, Turner Recital Hall