Nazareth set to open new $15.5 million Jane and Laurence Glazer Music Performance Center

Following more than a year of construction, Nazareth College is set to unveil the Jane and Laurence Glazer Music Performance Center. Located adjacent to the Nazareth College Arts Center, this $15.5 million space includes a 550-seat venue designed specifically for the acoustics of large instrumental ensembles.The hall will serve as the rehearsal and performance home of the Nazareth Department of Music; 20% of all Nazareth College of Arts and Sciences undergraduate students are music majors. The Center pays tribute to the late Jane and Larry Glazer, a beloved couple who was well-known to Nazareth and the Rochester community for their entrepreneurial spirit. Jane Glazer was also a graduate alumna of the College.

"Jane and Larry Glazer were visionaries for building a better Rochester," said Nazareth President Daan Braveman. "Similarly the College is committed to the community, and indeed everything we do at Nazareth serves not only our students but also the community at large. The Glazer Music Performance Center will be the very best state of the art music venue and will be a vital new asset in our region."

The Center's main performance space, the Rose Marie and John Beston Hall, is named in honor of Dr. Rose Marie Beston who served as Nazareth's seventh president from 1984-1998. From the thickness of the walls and the inaudible HVAC system, to the acoustic curtains and sound sealed doors, Beston Hall is unique within the Rochester region in its acoustic capabilities.

"I'm calling the space a cathedral of sound. It's like an instrument," said Mario Martinez, chair of the music department and associate professor of music. "Last spring, our ensembles played here while the hall was being tuned and the sound was incredible. Our students are finally able to play in a hall where they can really hear each other, and that in itself creates an amazing opportunity for artistic growth."

The new hall's stage is twice as large as the College's existing Linehan Chapel stage and is the same size as the stage of Carnegie Hall, enabling more musicians to perform together and to allow richer collaborations amongst students and the community. In addition, an LED green lighting rig provides state-of-the art lighting that is environmentally friendly. Rochester firm SWBR was the architect/designer for the Center.

"The space was designed and engineered to be extremely quiet so that the only thing you hear is the music," said Michael LaPoint, Director of Facilities Planning and Administration at Nazareth. "This creates the best possible concert experience both for the audience and the musicians as well who can hear each other play without distractions."

Having a space to create the best possible sound is a dream realized for Nazareth's Department of Music. For the past four years, the Department of Music has enrolled the second-highest number of new students at Nazareth. The new music hall will enable the College to accommodate those students who want to pursue careers in music performance, music education, music therapy, and music business.

"The music department is thrilled with the unveiling of the Glazer Music Performance Center," said Martinez. "This is testimony of the visionary leadership of our college administration and it also represents a recognition of the incredible work the music department has done in building one of the top and most dynamic liberal arts music programs in the region."

The Center's inaugural season will include more than 20 performances by the College Music Department, and three performances by national and international touring acts. A grand opening gala on Saturday, September 22 at 6 p.m. will celebrate the Center's opening. Taking place in and around the venue, the gala will include a ribbon cutting ceremony, a strolling buffet, dancing under the stars, and musical performances. The highlight of the evening will be a world premiere by Emmy Award-winning composer and alumnus Jack Allocco conducting the Nazareth College Symphony Orchestra, Chorus, and Jazz Ensemble on his work commissioned specifically for this event and venue. Allocco's new work, titled "Peregrinations, We Dare to Dream," will be followed by live music by The Orient Express Band, a Rochester-based high-energy band. Tickets are $175 and all proceeds will establish endowed music scholarships for Nazareth students. Tickets available at naz.edu/glazer or by calling 585-389-2145.

"The Glazer Music Performance Center is a wonderful extension of the Arts Center," said Rita Mannelli, Executive Director of the Nazareth College Arts Center. "We are thrilled to be able to bring world-renowned musicians here for intimate performances that haven't been possible on our main stage, the Callahan Theater."

The Glazer's family generously gave to fund the performance center (from Jane and Laurence Glazer Charitable Trust) in memory of their parents. In addition to many other private donations, the project also received a total of $1.5 million in support from Senator Rich Funke and from Empire State Development through the Regional Economic Development Council.

Arts Center 2018-19 Season events in the Glazer Music Performance Center

• Velvet Caravan with special guest Jessica Ann Best on Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 8 p.m. This high energy quintet will play upbeat tunes from all over the world with thunderous virtuosity and a relentless sense of humor.
• On Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 7 p.m., the four Irish members of We Banjo 3-Billboard World Music No. 1 chart toppers-will perform a blend of traditional Irish, Americana, and bluegrass tunes on fiddle, mandolin, guitar and bodhrán (an Irish drum).
• Jazz pianist Aaron Diehl will perform a solo recital that brings a jazz flair to classical works and classical training to jazz favorites on Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 8 p.m. Revered by the New York Times for "melodic precision, harmonic erudition, and elegant restraint," Diehl is a rising star in the New York-city jazz scene.

Tickets to these three concerts are $38, available at artscenter.naz.edu/season or by calling 585-389-2170.

Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for nearly 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.

Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.

• published: 2018 August
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