Frequently Asked Questions

1. What will the Adams Center for Music offer the Gordon College community? 

Expertly designed, visually stunning and acoustically exceptional, the Adams Center for Music will be a building that opens new opportunities for our students, faculty, alumni, and surrounding communities of the North Shore and Greater Boston.  

Our students will have the opportunity to study in best-in-class performance and rehearsal spaces, and the performance hall will serve as a magnet for world-renowned performers and educators. Residents of Greater Boston and the North Shore will be welcomed into this space for performances and events.  

2. Who helped fund this new building?  

The Adams Center for Music is made possible by a landmark planned gift from Stephen and Denise Adams, champions of the arts and higher education with a long, distinguished history of investing in music education. This gift continues that lifelong commitment, and we are incredibly grateful for the Adams family's transformational generosity. 

3. What will be in the Adams Center for Music?  

The Adams Center will bring all of Gordon’s music programs, including choral and instrumental ensembles, under one roof for the first time in the College’s history. The 500-seat state-of-the-art performance hall will feature distinctive wrap-around seating and a stage designed to accommodate performances of varying sizes, prioritizing an unusually intimate connection between performer and audience and a sense of community amongst audience members.   

The Center will also house a large instrumental ensemble rehearsal room, a dedicated percussion studio, an artist's green room, and spaces acoustically designed for choral rehearsal and music education. The creative, dual-level lobby will incorporate a gathering space for students as well as an art exhibition space. An exterior courtyard between the existing Philips Music Center and the Adams Center will be yet another space for gathering.  

4. When will the Adams Center for Music open? 

Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2026 with building completion planned for fall 2028. We look forward to welcoming students, families, alumni, and community members into this new performing arts space. 

5. Will students other than music majors be able to use the Adams Center? 

Yes. Just as Gordon’s current music program has welcomed students of all majors since its beginning, the Adams Center will continue to welcome the community into its space for participation in ensembles and classes as well as public recitals and performances—much like Phillips Music Center does today.

6. Will tuition be affected?  

Tuition will not be affected because of this project. The Adams Center is made possible by a designated planned gift from Stephen and Denise Adams. 

7. How will this project affect Phillips Music Center?  

Phillips Music Center will continue to be utilized for music instruction, studio teaching, rehearsals, and coaching. Faculty studios and offices will remain in Phillips, and Phillips Recital Hall will continue to be used for public and internal events, rehearsal, and instruction.  

We are already working to ensure campus safety, maximize use of current facilities like Phillips, and minimize the impact on campus life, instruction, rehearsals, and public events. Upon completion, the Adams Center for Music and Phillips Music Center will be adjoined with connected walkways.  

8. Who is Epstein Joslin + Picardy Architects? 

Epstein Joslin + Picardy Architects is an award-winning architectural firm with expertise in performing arts and academic venues, including, most recently, the Groton Music Center (Groton, MA), the Conrad Prebys Music Center (La Jolla, CA), and the Shalin Liu Performance Center (Rockport, MA).

Founding Principal, Alan Joslin, FAIA, has also been responsible for the design of such notable projects as Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood (Lenox, MA), and Strathmore Music Center (home of the Baltimore Symphony, MD) while Principal and Project Architect with William Rawn Associates, the original architect for Phillips Hall at Gordon College.