SUU Celebrates Ground Breaking for New Music Center

Cedar City, UT - Southern Utah University (SUU) is pleased to announce the groundbreaking ceremony for its highly anticipated new Music Center on April 25, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. The ceremony will take place at the Northwest Corner of 300 West and University Boulevard. All members of the community are cordially invited to attend this historic event.

“I am immensely proud to witness the groundbreaking of our new Music Center at SUU,” said Shauna Mendini, dean of the College of Performing & Visual Arts. “This facility will not only enhance the educational experience for our students but also serve as a cultural beacon for our community. With its cutting-edge resources and inspiring design, the new Music Center will nurture creativity, foster collaboration, and elevate the arts at SUU to new heights.”

The Music Center marks a significant milestone in SUU’s commitment to fostering artistic excellence and providing state-of-the-art facilities for its students and community. Spanning an impressive 44,000 square feet across two stories, the center will serve as a hub for musical education, performance, and innovation.

Highlights of the new Music Center include:

• Two spacious classrooms
• A piano lab
• A computer lab
• A stunning 510-seat concert hall
• A dedicated recital space, which will also serve as a choral rehearsal room
• Rehearsal space for instrumental ensembles
• A comprehensive Commercial Music suite
• A specialized Percussion studio
• Recording and production labs equipped with the latest technology

The realization of the new Music Center is the result of the dedicated efforts of a legislative delegation including Senator Don Ipson, Senator Evan Vickers, and Representative Rex Shipp. Their combined efforts resulted in generous funding from the Utah Legislature in both the 2021 and 2022 sessions that elevated the project past a simple remodel of the former Music Building into the masterpiece that will complete Cedar City’s arts corridor.

“I am grateful for the support of all those involved in making this vision a reality,” shared Dean Mendini. “I eagerly anticipate the transformative impact it will have on generations of musicians and music lovers alike.”

One of the center’s most notable features will be a donated stained glass window, originally housed in the 2nd/8th Ward Building of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This community treasure will have pride of place in the Music Center’s lobby and will be enjoyed once again by residents, students, and visitors alike.

Architectural design for the building is led by Method Studio, with mechanical engineering by WHW Engineering, LLC, and acoustics by Jaffe Holden. A/V production systems are being implemented by The Shalleck Collaborative, Inc., and landscape design is managed by Arc Sitio Design. Layton Construction Company has been appointed as the general contractor, with oversight from the Utah Department of Facilities and Construction Management and SUU Facilities Management.

The design of the 44,000-square-foot building maximizes square footage efficiency and will preserve the existing mature trees on the site, maintaining the natural beauty of the space. The University will expand parking across the street along Harding Avenue and 200 West, increasing the number of parking spaces that exist on the northern end of campus. Construction on the new Music Center will commence in June, and is set to be complete and ready for classes by fall semester of 2026.

Please join us as we celebrate the groundbreaking of SUU’s new Music Center, on Thursday, April 25. The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. on the Northwest Corner of 300 West and University Boulevard and will feature remarks from campus leaders, representatives from Method Studios and Layton Construction, and Utah legislators, as well as a performance by the SUU Concert Choir.

About the College of Performing and Visual Arts

The College of Performing and Visual Arts (CPVA) at Southern Utah University comprises 41 academic programs including liberal arts (BA/BS) and professional (BFA, BM, BMEd) degrees in art, design, dance, filmmaking, music, and theatre as well as the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA). It includes graduate programs in the fields of arts administration (MFA, MA), music education (MME), and music technology (MM). More than 60 full-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 900 majors in the College. CPVA presents over 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year and is affiliated with the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the Center for Shakespeare Studies. Southern Utah University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) making SUU the first public university in the state of Utah to be accredited by all four associations. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, visit www.suu.edu/pva.

(Courtesy: Kol Gibson at suu.edu)