The Oregon Bach Festival will break ground on June 17th to start construction of its new home next to the University of Oregon's School of Music.
A $6.5 million gift from UO alumni Phyllis and Andrew Berwick will cover the majority of the cost. Portland-based Hacker Architects designed the facility – even bringing in acousticians to ensure the rehearsal room works for the performance of both period and contemporary music pieces.
Spokesman Josh Gren says the new building will allow for a lot more collaboration amongst OBF's various departments.
GREN: "It's going to be one big room that will allow us to chat more – so, the marketing and development team can work closer together; the artistic team can work closer with the operations and administration team. What it will really allow for is a lot more back-and-forth and a lot more collaboration and a more efficient way of running the festival in the future."
Gren says the building's lobby will be a place where School of Music students can work on homework and maybe even, practice the cello. The facility is expected to be finished by the start of the 2017 festival.