Weill Hall in the Green Music Center coming soon

The Green Music Center has been in the works since 1996 and the moment is soon to come for the concert hall, now known as Weill Hall's, grand opening. The name has been changed to Weill Hall recently due to the Weill family's donation of $12 million, which is making the opening possible.

"Donors of the GMC donate money out of the sense that they believe in our education and investing in it, as well as the belief that performing arts should be vibrant," said Erik Greeny, associate vice president of university development.

The doors will open September of 2012 and announcements will be given in the upcoming spring semester. Weill Hall is designed to seat 1,400 people inside and the outside lawn is open to an additional 3,000 seats.

"This acoustically perfect hall is designed for more of the classical music genre: choral, jazz, world music and instrumental," said Jessica Anderson, marketing manager for GMC.

"Artists have already been booked for the season and we will announce them shortly after spring semester begins," she added.

According to Anderson, the marketing department anticipates that the grand opening will be successful and that it is meant for broader audiences than just the campus community.

They hope the GMC will become a performing arts center for those in the wine country and external communities.

However, the on-campus community will not be forgotten and marketing hopes to work out discounts for students and faculty.

Regarding outside communities, even the Santa Rosa Symphony will be moving from Wells Fargo Center for the Arts to the GMC to perform.

The Prelude restaurant in the GMC will be open for special events and concerts, where guests will be able to make reservations there before a performance.

Anderson encourages that SSU should check out the Prelude Facebook page in the spring semester.

Outside of the symphonic-based performances in Weill Hall will be something called On-Campus Presents.

This is going to be something the students are able to put on that is not so instrumentally or classically-based. Students who are part of On Campus Presents will be able to create their own concert series. This will specifically be geared toward the students of SSU.

From now until September, there are still projects to finish. Marketing and other planners for the GMC will be advertising ticket sales, marketing artists and shows, and finding sponsors. Until September, the GMC will still be undergoing construction, including Weill Hall.

According to Christopher Dinno, senior directing for facilities management and capital planning, design and construction, there are currently 1,200 year-old olive trees being planted in the GMC courtyard. Not only are they constructing certain areas, but they are beautifying the GMC even more.

"The interior lobby is under construction, and there are other separate construction pieces for Weill Hall such as audio, theatrical lighting and performance sports bases," said Dinno.

Dinno mentions how carefully all of the plans have been put together. He has consulted with numerous companies and well-known architectural firms from San Francisco to Chicago, to Boston and more.

The facilities department has had help from audio, acoustic, and theatrical professionals and companies. Even the chairs in Weill Hall were specifically designed to agree with the acoustics.

Dinno and Anderson say that Weill Hall was one of their biggest projects involving the GMC.

Another large project that remains in the works is Schroeder's Recital Hall and an outside amphitheatre. Projects for this hall will have to wait until there is funding available.