With the renovation of Grant Recital Hall and an increase in course offerings, performers and students interested in Brown's music program, the Department of Music could expand considerably over the next year. But with all of these changes, professors and students within the department still face one looming question: will there be enough room?
The department has been coping with space constraints for quite some time, according to Katherine Bergeron, professor of music and chair of the department. Such limitations have only been exacerbated by the department's recent growth.
"We've increased the size of our faculty, and that means - among other things - new courses, new programs, and a lot more activity," Bergeron wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. "The number of our public events increased by 40 percent this year and we've added more than a dozen courses to our curriculum. All of this activity is exciting but it's also true that we're now scrambling to find the room to make it all work."
Renovations to Grant Recital Hall are set to begin in June and will last through the fall semester. The changes, which will be overseen by Brian Healy Architects, a Boston-based firm, are an attempt to create a more aesthetically pleasing building. According to the department's Web site, "The refurbished facility ... retains the same seating capacity while boasting a larger lobby and reception space, a grander entrance, and a more generous green room for performers."
Though students and faculty said they look forward to the renovated recital hall, they are also concerned about where performances lined up for the fall semester will take place.
"It is great that Grant Recital Hall is being renovated but there is still the problem that there are about 70 events that will have to go somewhere else on campus and that don't really have a place," said Frederick Jodry, senior music director and director of choral activities.
Jodry said he hopes successful completion of the renovations to Grant Recital Hall will eventually lead to other projects that will improve the department's facilities.
Bergeron also remained optimistic regarding the problems posed by the renovations to the recital hall.
"With the renovation of Grant Recital Hall scheduled to begin in June, the space will be off limits for a whole semester, which only complicates matters, but thinking through the problem and looking to the future is more fun than frustrating because it's a very creative process," Bergeron wrote. "This semester we began looking at all of our buildings to try to imagine how we might re-purpose some of the spaces to accommodate our increased teaching and rehearsal performance needs."
In addition to renovations, an increase in courses and interested students may also prove problematic for the department as it tries to accommodate students' needs. According to the department's Web site, "there are never enough" practice spaces. Jodry said the department is expecting to add between six and eight more classes within the next two years.
In addition to what Bergeron called the department's "growth spurt," some students voiced concerns related to performance space.
"We can play in other halls but they are not built for performances because of bad acoustics like Sayles and Alumnae hall(s)," said Jeff Prystowsky '06, a music concentrator. " It would be perfect if we could get a building like Sayles Hall with the acoustics of the Grant Recital Hall that the music department can control."
Nora Krohn '06 voiced similar concerns, though she added that, "The orchestra plays in Sayles Hall because Grant, with seating for only 130, does not have enough room."
