Facilities
PHILLIPS MUSIC CENTER
The Department of Music makes its home in the Phillips Music Center. Dedicated in 2000, this state-of-the-art facility houses music faculty and staff offices as well as:
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Phillips Recital Hall
Designed by William L. Rawn, the world renowned architect behind Boston Symphony Orchestra's Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, the recital hall is a model of optimal acoustic performance and architectural creativity, and continues to astound audiences and performers alike. Student and faculty recitals, master classes, chamber music concerts, guest artist performances, small staged productions, and other special events fill the recital hall throughout the school year. The hall is also an important ensemble rehearsal space and home to various other departmental and campus events. Two Steinway D concert grand pianos (an American [New York] and a Hamburg) are housed in the hall, along with a Kawai grand piano.
Seating around 175 people and featuring a full side of the hall with a windowed view of Coy Pond and the Gordon Woods, the Phillips Recital Hall offers an intimate performance experience to both the performer and audience member. The hall features a retractable sound curtain built into a dowel wall for acoustic adjustment, an upper-level mezzanine, audio and video recording equipment, and customizable performance lighting.
A two manual, 15 rank E. F. Walcker & Co. tracker-action organ (Opus 5104) is installed in a second-story loft. The organ, built around 1968, has made its home in both Prince Chapel (Gordon's original chapel and music building) and in the Oliver Recital Hall at Barrington College before the merge with Gordon in 1985.
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Studios / Practice Rooms
Every practice room and studio is fitted with a Kawai upright or grand piano, and many have large windows overlooking the natural beauty of Coy Pond and the 400+ acres of Gordon-owned woods. In addition to the piano studio fitted with two Steinway D concert grand pianos (a New York and a Hamburg), piano majors are offered designated practice rooms fitted with Kawai and Steinway grand pianos. Several other practice rooms are designated for other instruments including organ, double bass, cello, and harpsichord practice rooms.
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Classroom
The classroom in Phillips Music Center—outfitted with its own grand piano, high fidelity audio system, wireless internet access, and a SMART Board interactive whiteboard—is home to many of Gordon's music courses. Graduate and undergraduate students alike find the classroom, with its view of Coy Pond, a comfortable and inspiring place in which to learn. In addition to the Phillips classroom, music courses are taught in the Phillips Recital Hall (above), the A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel (below), the Music Technology Lab (below), the Jenks Learning Resource Center, and Chase Hall.
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Music Technology Lab
Featuring 15 iMac computers each connected to a fully-weighted, 88-key keyboard, the music technology lab allows students to compose and arrange music, complete piano proficiency coursework, record audio, and browse the internet. The latest versions of Finale and Sibelius music notation software are installed on each computer system. Other software includes Garritan Personal Orchestra Sample Library, EastWest Symphonic Orchestra Sample Library, Pro Tools, and Aurelia.
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A. J. GORDON MEMORIAL CHAPEL
For performances that consistently draw large audiences, the Department of Music utilizes the 1,500-seat A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel. The Chapel is home to the annual Christmas Gala, large operetta productions, and major ensemble concerts. When not in use for chapel services or convocation programs, the Chapel provides a vital rehearsal space for many of the Department's student ensembles.