Authorities and students from the School of Music say funding is needed for a more efficient performance space.
According to the budget summary for academic programs for the 2006-07 fiscal year, the entire College of Fine Arts was allotted $15.7 million, or 10.6 percent, of the Ohio University Athens Campus General Funds Budget. The school also receives about $100,000 in donations, said Charles McWeeny, dean of the college.
The College of Fine Arts allotted the School of Music approximately $3.2 million, or 21 percent of the college's budget, McWeeny said.
It was mentioned at the Jan. 26 Town Hall Meeting that the School of Music pays approximately $995 for a week of space in Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium. These costs go toward maintenance, equipment rental and the student payroll, said Andrew Holzaepfel, associate director at MemAud.
We need another venue for the town and for the university
and I think that would relieve the problem McWeeny said.
McWeeny and School of Music Interim Director Allyn Reilly both said that a 750-seat performance space is needed. The space would need a backstage and storage for sets, things that MemAud lacks. The Recital Hall in Glidden Hall holds under 200 people and only can be used for chamber music and solo performances, Reilly said.
It would take roughly $10 million to $12 million to build a new performance space, McWeeny said.
When Glidden Hall was built in 1970, the School of Music was planning to add more rehearsal space. But, because of the Kent State University shootings, the school went through a period of severe retrenchment Reilly said.
The only addition to the building was the rehearsal space in the rear, built about 10 years ago, Reilly said. MemAud still is needed for afternoon rehearsals because it is the only rehearsal space available.
The performances that the School of Music holds in MemAud are required for students to graduate. According to the school's handbook, full-time undergraduate music performance majors must perform in an ensemble on his or her principal instrument each quarter he or she is in residence.
Voice majors must perform in either the OU Singers or Choral Union for 11 quarters and must perform in the OU Opera Theater for at least three quarters.
Senior music education major Lauren Hannay said the School of Music shouldn't have to pay to use a building owned by the university because the School of Music is a part of OU.
We're all student organizations ' we all come from Ohio University G? And it's an Ohio University venue
Hannay said. I think something needs to be done.
A proposal has been presented to President Roderick McDavis to relieve some of the costs for maintenance of MemAud, but it's a question of funding
McDavis said.
Overall, however, Reilly says the School of Music's relationship with MemAud has been positive, and the administration is doing its best in dealing with the costs.
Yes
it's a significant part of our budget
but we'll continue having performances (at MemAud) because we have to
Reilly said.
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