St. Cecilia hosts ribbon-cutting and grand re-opening gala tonight, showing off new seating, lighting, sound systems, flooring, furniture and more in the historic downtown concert hall. (Video tour)
Renovations that Touched All of the Building: Cathy Holbrook in Royce Auditorium. (Photo/Local Spins)
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO TOUR
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
Not all of St. Cecilia Music Center’s $2.4 million in upgrades and renovations are immediately obvious to the naked eye.
For instance, a new roof, safety and security upgrades, and improved HVAC equipment and storage areas help prepare the historic 122-year-old Grand Rapids building for the next era of music appreciation – something being celebrated today with a ribbon-cutting and grand re-opening gala.
Seating Renovations: Workers removed existing seats which were about 35 years old and replaced them with new ones in Royce Auditorium.
On the flip side, many end results of the downtown concert hall’s “Music Lives Here” refurbishing campaign are stunning: new seating, sound equipment and lighting in Royce Auditorium, remodeled lobby, box office, administrative offices and rehearsal spaces, and fresh furniture, fixtures and flooring.
Cathy Holbrook, executive director of St. Cecilia, said the renovations add to the “positiveness of experience” for visitors, everything from a modernized reception area in the lobby to refinished wood flooring to LED lighting to newly painted walls and ceilings.
“I think that’s what’s really exciting for us,” said Holbrook, noting the upgrades “touched a lot” of different areas throughout the building. “We did a facelift.”
So, when St. Cecilia’s Youth Orchestra performs tonight in Royce Auditorium, guests will get to experience music in a way they’ve never experienced it before in a facility that’s long strived to “keep music alive” through educational programs for children and concerts featuring world-class musicians in the fields of jazz, classical music and folk.
Langhorne Slim
The first official concert in the revamped Royce Auditorium will feature “an intimate evening” of classical music by Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center artists at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10. Tickets for the “Destination Vienna” concert are $38 and $43.
That’s followed on Nov. 17 by the first Acoustic Café Folk Series concert of the season featuring Langhorne Slim, a rock-folk-pop artist that’s earned widespread acclaim for his live shows and banjo-propelled storytelling. The concert is emceed by Rob Reinhart of “Acoustic Café,” which will tape an interview and performance for future broadcast on the syndicated radio show. Tickets for that 7:30 p.m. concert are $25 and $30, with a reception immediately following the show.
HVAC Upgrades: St. Cecilia installed a new air-conditioning unit on the roof.
The first jazz concert of the season takes place on Dec. 8 with a performance by Grammy Award-winning singer Cécile McLorin Salvant. Tickets for that 7:30 p.m. concert are $38 and $43.
Get tickets and details about all of St. Cecilia’s concerts online at scmc-online.org.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places with a concert hall that’s regarded by many as an acoustic gem, St. Cecilia at 24 Ransom Ave. NE last year launched a $5.5 million campaign to support not only building improvements, but also “sustainability through endowment” and expanded program funding.
In addition to the aforementioned changes, the project also included improvements to the Green Room, restrooms, Americans with Disabilities Act features, musicians’ seating, grand pianos and building signage. Mathison/Mathison Architects served as project architects, with Erhardt Construction as project managers. Yvonne Daniels of Daniels Design provided design direction.
VIDEO: A Tour of the Refurbished St. Cecilia Music Center
Video by David Specht
Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC
