Seemingly moments after unveiling the new Stanford Stadium, Stanford announced in the fall of 2006 that it would build a home for the Stanford Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. Peter Bing ’55 and his wife Helen made a $50 million donation for its construction, which was supplemented by supporters of the arts and Stanford Symphony Orchestra fans. With a budget of $110 million, the Bing Concert Hall is expected to combine acoustical excellence and intimacy with the adaptability necessary for the performing arts groups on campus.
Although the Stanford Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble will rehearse in the concert hall, the venue will be shared among all music groups on campus, including Stanford Taiko, a student group of taiko drummers, and Stanford Lively Arts, an organization that brings visiting performers and artists to the Stanford community.
“The concert hall is truly a shared space,” said Stephen Sano ’91 D.M.A. ’94, chair of the music department and conductor of the Stanford Chamber Chorale.
He emphasized that while the concert hall has been on the Department of Music’s wish list for a long time, Stanford Lively Arts and the Drama Department will have equal access to the concert hall. Also, student-run ensembles like the a cappella groups on campus will have the opportunity to perform in the venue.
In addition to hosting traditional forms of music, the Bing Concert Hall is designed to accommodate many unconventional forms of music that are unique to Stanford, including the laptop and mobile phone orchestras.
“The faculty, staff and students from the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics were critical in helping specify what the needs would be for reproduction of computer music,” said Sano.
The new concert hall is a part of Stanford’s effort to increase students’ appreciation for the arts and is meant to foster creativity and perspective in its students.
“The concert hall is a very big part of the Stanford Arts Initiative,” said Matthew Tiews ’99 Ph.D. ‘04, the executive director of arts programs for the School of Humanities and Sciences. “The Stanford Arts Initiative has been this University-wide effort to do more in the arts…and to integrate the arts more into student life and [into] the research and teaching initiative in the University.”
In an effort to promote appreciation of the arts in the Stanford community, the Bing Concert Hall brought together a team of world-class architects and acousticians to create intimacy between the audience and the performers.
“I think it’s an interesting challenge for an architect,” said Jenny Bilfield, the artistic and executive director of Stanford Lively Arts.
According to Bilfield, the planners are trying to build a concert hall that harmonizes with the rest of the campus, while also retaining its own distinct architecture.
The Bing Concert Hall is expected to finish construction in the summer of 2012 and to open in January 2013.