A new building will soon make its campus debut, starring BYU’s globally acclaimed School of Music.
The BYU Board of Trustees approved the construction of a 170,000-square-foot building in the south end of the parking lot east of the J. Reuben Clark Law School. The new building will house the university’s music programs.
The School of Music is currently located in the Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Center (HFAC), which is also home to four other departments—and is the most-used academic building on campus. The new Music Building will free up space and bring music students above ground, out of the HFAC basement labyrinth of music classrooms and practice rooms.
The most highly anticipated feature: a vineyard-style concert hall, which places the stage at center, with 1,000 seats rising in tiers on all sides. This rounded venue style, found in prestigious music halls around the world, centers the performer so all can easily see and hear. “This also serves a distinct pedagogical purpose,” says Edward E. Adams (MA ’91), dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications, giving students and patrons a clear view of performer technique. The hall will be the first of its kind in the Intermountain West.
Construction on the building is scheduled to begin in spring 2020 and finish in fall 2022. While many parking stalls will be impacted, the university continues to work on solutions that reduce the need for vehicles on campus while providing ample parking options.
