Robert and Judi Newman Center for Performing Arts
Encyclopedia
The Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts is located on the University of Denver
campus in Denver, Colorado
at the southwest corner of Iliff and University. Robert and Judi Newman were asked by former Chancellor Daniel L. Ritchie
to spearhead the fundraising
effort for the building. They also made a substantial donation
to the Center’s fundraising efforts. The Newman Center officially opened in the fall of 2002 and the three main performance venues officially opened in spring 2003.
The Center is divided into many academic and rehearsal
spaces as well as multiple performance venues, including Virginia E. Trevorrow Hall on the north end of the building, which houses the Lamont School of Music, and includes other various academic and rehearsal facilities. The three main performance venues are located on the main floor of the Center and include June Swaner Gates Concert Hall, an opera house
with nearly 1,000 seats, Frederic C. Hamilton Family Recital Hall, an intimate recital
space of 222 seats, and Elizabeth Eriksen Byron Theatre, a black box theater
seating up to 350. The Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation Meet-the-Artist Room serves as a reception room for many events.
The Newman Center hosts over 400 performances each season, including theatre
, dance
, jazz
, world
and classical music
. Over 150,000 people each season attend events in the Newman Center for the Performing Arts. Performers include international touring artists, local performing arts
organizations, as well as the award-winning musician
s, singers and thespian
s of the University of Denver. The University's own "Newman Center Presents" series is a multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural offering of renowned artists. It was inaugurated in the fall of 2003. Newman Center Presents mixes well-known performers with rising stars from around the world and artists who have not otherwise had the chance to perform in Denver. Over half of the artists presented by NCP have never appeared in Denver before. NCP regularly commissions new works and provides educational residency activities for students of the University and pre-college students. Nearly all performances in the Newman Center are open to the general public as well as University faculty and students.
, which were designed by Kirkegaard Associates
. Gates Concert Hall has a large performing stage, an orchestra pit
, a Wenger orchestra shell used for full symphony and chamber orchestras, and tiered seating for the audience. Gates Concert Hall is used for operatic, musical and dance shows as well as jazz, classical music, corporate presentations, memorial services, and other events. It seats from 849 to 971 people, depending on the configuration of the pits.
for performances that take place during the evenings. The Plaza is elegant with a high vaulted ceiling, large clerestory
windows, tall columns, alabaster
chandelier
s, Italian travertine
floors and custom-made furniture
by Daniel Strawn. The M Allan Frank Family Box Office is located in the Plaza, which is where tickets for performances may be purchased.
organ designed and built by Karl Schuke Berliner Orgelbauwerkstatt in Berlin
, Germany
. It seats 222 people.
majors. The Lamont School of Music has more than three hundred music majors as well as non-music majors who use the facilities throughout the year. The following facilities are included in this hall.
s, 42 faculty studies, 35 student practice rooms on the Morey C. Ballantiine Student Floor, the Wolf Conference Room (22-seat boardroom style meeting space), a recording studio which contains a drum booth (with walls lined with river rocks for acoustical reasons), an electronic piano
lab, the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Music Library, and a student lounge. The student lounge located on the 5th floor has a custom-made west-facing window in the shape of a rose, made from Indiana limestone
. Dick Sanders donated funding for this space.
to a small, acoustically "dead" club. On the Morey C. Ballantine 5th floor, there are various Student Practice Rooms, which are available for student use on a first-come, first-serve basis and are each equipped with a Steinway
piano
. The Lamont School of Music was the 27th "All Steinway" music school
in the U.S.
recitals and rehearsals, and a large lecture classroom. It is the venue used for Flo’s Underground, a free, live jazz performance on Fridays during the academic year from 5:00pm to 7:00pm given by current Lamont jazz students. It seats 80 people.
University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
campus in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
at the southwest corner of Iliff and University. Robert and Judi Newman were asked by former Chancellor Daniel L. Ritchie
Daniel L. Ritchie
Daniel L. Ritchie is the Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Denver, a former CEO of major communication corporations, and a Harvard alumnus...
to spearhead the fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
effort for the building. They also made a substantial donation
Donation
A donation is a gift given by physical or legal persons, typically for charitable purposes and/or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including cash, services, new or used goods including clothing, toys, food, and vehicles...
to the Center’s fundraising efforts. The Newman Center officially opened in the fall of 2002 and the three main performance venues officially opened in spring 2003.
The Center is divided into many academic and rehearsal
Rehearsal
For other uses, see Rehearsal or Dress rehearsal A rehearsal is a preparatory event in music and theatre that is performed before the official public performance, as a form of practice, and to ensure that all details of the performance are adequately prepared and coordinated for professional...
spaces as well as multiple performance venues, including Virginia E. Trevorrow Hall on the north end of the building, which houses the Lamont School of Music, and includes other various academic and rehearsal facilities. The three main performance venues are located on the main floor of the Center and include June Swaner Gates Concert Hall, an opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
with nearly 1,000 seats, Frederic C. Hamilton Family Recital Hall, an intimate recital
Recital
A recital is a musical performance. It can highlight a single performer, sometimes accompanied by piano, or a performance of the works of a single composer.The invention of the solo piano recital has been attributed to Franz Liszt....
space of 222 seats, and Elizabeth Eriksen Byron Theatre, a black box theater
Black box theater
The black box theater is a relatively recent innovation, consisting of a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space, usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor.-History:...
seating up to 350. The Galen and Ada Belle Spencer Foundation Meet-the-Artist Room serves as a reception room for many events.
The Newman Center hosts over 400 performances each season, including theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, world
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
and classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
. Over 150,000 people each season attend events in the Newman Center for the Performing Arts. Performers include international touring artists, local performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
organizations, as well as the award-winning musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s, singers and thespian
Thespian
Thespian may refer to:* An actor * A citizen of the ancient Greek city of Thespiae* A member of the International Thespian Society, an honor society that promotes excellence in high school theater...
s of the University of Denver. The University's own "Newman Center Presents" series is a multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural offering of renowned artists. It was inaugurated in the fall of 2003. Newman Center Presents mixes well-known performers with rising stars from around the world and artists who have not otherwise had the chance to perform in Denver. Over half of the artists presented by NCP have never appeared in Denver before. NCP regularly commissions new works and provides educational residency activities for students of the University and pre-college students. Nearly all performances in the Newman Center are open to the general public as well as University faculty and students.
June Swaner Gates Concert Hall
This venue is the most widely used performance space in the Newman Center. It is known for its great acousticsAcoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
, which were designed by Kirkegaard Associates
Kirkegaard Associates
Kirkegaard Associates is an American acoustics design firm based in Chicago, Illinois, with an office in Boulder Colorado. As of 2010, the company is headed by Lawrence Kirkegaard and employs 29 professionals in architecture, acoustics, music recording, mechanical and audio engineering, musical and...
. Gates Concert Hall has a large performing stage, an orchestra pit
Orchestra pit
An orchestra pit is the area in a theater in which musicians perform. Orchestral pits are utilized in forms of theatre that require music or in cases when incidental music is required...
, a Wenger orchestra shell used for full symphony and chamber orchestras, and tiered seating for the audience. Gates Concert Hall is used for operatic, musical and dance shows as well as jazz, classical music, corporate presentations, memorial services, and other events. It seats from 849 to 971 people, depending on the configuration of the pits.
Joy Burns Plaza
This is the main artery of the Newman Center and serves as a lounge and study area for staff and students during the day and as a lobbyLobby (room)
A lobby is a room in a building which is used for entry from the outside. Sometimes referred to as a foyer or an entrance hall.Many office buildings, hotels and skyscrapers go to great lengths to decorate their lobbies to create the right impression....
for performances that take place during the evenings. The Plaza is elegant with a high vaulted ceiling, large clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
windows, tall columns, alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
chandelier
Chandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
s, Italian travertine
Travertine
Travertine is a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs, especially hot springs. Travertine often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, and cream-colored varieties. It is formed by a process of rapid precipitation of calcium carbonate, often at the mouth of a hot...
floors and custom-made furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
by Daniel Strawn. The M Allan Frank Family Box Office is located in the Plaza, which is where tickets for performances may be purchased.
Frederic C. Hamilton Family Recital Hall
This hall is used for recital performances by the students and faculty members of the Lamont School of Music, but is also available for public rental. Hamilton Hall includes a 9-foot Steinway Hamburg concert grand piano and the William K. Coors organ, a 2,850-pipe tracker actionTracker action
Tracker action is a term used in reference to pipe organs and steam calliopes to indicate a mechanical linkage between keys or pedals pressed by the organist and the valve that allows air to flow into pipe of the corresponding note...
organ designed and built by Karl Schuke Berliner Orgelbauwerkstatt in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It seats 222 people.
Elizabeth Eriksen Byron Theatre
Also known as the “Byron Flexible Theatre,” or just "the Flex," this space is used for students with theatre majors to learn the practice of theatre production. The theatre is capable of making more than 40 different seating and staging arrangements and has an adjacent rehearsal room. There are some professional performances shown in this theatre, especially during the University of Denver's winter and summer breaks. It seats up to 350 people.Virginia E. Trevorrow Hall
This is the north wing of the Newman Center and its facilities are mainly used by the Lamont School of Music faculty, staff and musicMusic
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
majors. The Lamont School of Music has more than three hundred music majors as well as non-music majors who use the facilities throughout the year. The following facilities are included in this hall.
Academic Facilities
The academic spaces include Lamont offices (Main Administrative Office, PR Office and Lamont Admissions), state-of-the-art classroomClassroom
A classroom is a room in which teaching or learning activities can take place. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, including public and private schools, corporations, and religious and humanitarian organizations...
s, 42 faculty studies, 35 student practice rooms on the Morey C. Ballantiine Student Floor, the Wolf Conference Room (22-seat boardroom style meeting space), a recording studio which contains a drum booth (with walls lined with river rocks for acoustical reasons), an electronic piano
Electronic piano
An electronic piano is a keyboard instrument designed to simulate the timbre of a piano using analog circuitry....
lab, the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Music Library, and a student lounge. The student lounge located on the 5th floor has a custom-made west-facing window in the shape of a rose, made from Indiana limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. Dick Sanders donated funding for this space.
Rehearsal Facilities
There are various rehearsal and practice rooms that are available to both faculty and students on a regular basis. The Carol L. Moore Vocal Rehearsal Room is the main rehearsal space for the Lamont School of Music Opera and Choral programs. The Instrumental Rehearsal Room is the main rehearsal space for the Lamont Symphony Orchestra, the Lamont Wind Ensemble and the Pioneer Pep Band. There is also a Jazz Rehearsal Room, which is used by the jazz and commercial music programs at the school. Virtual Practice Rooms are also available that are equipped with Virtual Room Acoustic Systems, which electronically create reverberations in a small space so the acoustics in the rooms can sound like a variety of spaces, from a large concert hall or cathedralCathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
to a small, acoustically "dead" club. On the Morey C. Ballantine 5th floor, there are various Student Practice Rooms, which are available for student use on a first-come, first-serve basis and are each equipped with a Steinway
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. The Lamont School of Music was the 27th "All Steinway" music school
Music school
The term music school refers to an educational institution specialized in the study, training and research of music.Different terms refer to this concept such as school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department or conservatory.Music instruction can be provided...
in the U.S.
Carl and Lisa Williams Recital Salon
This room is used for solo recitals, chamber musicChamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
recitals and rehearsals, and a large lecture classroom. It is the venue used for Flo’s Underground, a free, live jazz performance on Fridays during the academic year from 5:00pm to 7:00pm given by current Lamont jazz students. It seats 80 people.
External links
Newman Center PresentsUniversity of Denver