New Chancellor Biddy Martin and former Chancellor John Wiley announced a $20 million donation to the UW-Madison School of Music Monday.
According to John Schaffer, director of UW-Madison's School of Music, two anonymous donors made the donation for a new performance center on the northwest corner of University Avenue and Lake Street.
[The donation] will solve the problem for the music students and faculty so they have concert halls that are worthy of performances,"" Wiley said Tuesday. ""We are extremely pleased that this is such a good start for the next stage of the East Campus rebuilding.""
Schaffer said the $20 million gift would fund the construction of the new building, with additional expenses raised through public donations to the UW Foundation.
The center will have two concert halls, one with 800 seats and another with 350. In addition, the performance facility will have a box office, dressing rooms, support services, a recording studio and a green room.
According to Schaffer, the current music building causes problems for student performers. Wiley said the building is susceptible to air-conditioning system noise and inconsistent room temperatures.
Schaffer expects the donation to make the School of Music more selective because more students will apply but the amount of space for music majors will remain the same.
""Being that our school of music ranks in the top 5 percent of music schools, we will be attracting outstanding musicians who both want and expect the needs of good facilities to make really good music,"" Schaffer said.
Music school directors will preserve the relationship between the university and the city by allowing the public to use the Performance Center after its opening in 2013.
