USF Magazine Summer 2011

Volume 53 | Number 2

Cover Story

Steinway Sounds

Striking lobby murals, a grand concert hall and an impressive collection of Steinways await visitors at the new Music Building.

By Ann Carney | USF News

Musicians in the new USF Music Building

Photo by Anthony Morrison | Courtesy of the College The Arts

For nearly 30 years, the USF School of Music held onto the dream of a new building. In April, that dream became a reality when the school, part of the College of The Arts, unveiled its new, state-of-the-art facility. Featuring towering lobby murals, a sophisticated concert hall and the majestic sounds of the state's largest institutional collection of Steinway pianos, the new building is one of the most elegant and acoustically significant buildings in higher learning. Every aspect of the 113,535 square-foot facility, from its foundation to the final touches, was meticulously designed with students, educators, performers and the community in mind.

The new, nearly $47 million facility houses choral, orchestral and jazz halls, classrooms, faculty studios and student practice rooms. The centerpiece of the facility is a 485-seat concert hall featuring a dramatic, 32-ton floating acoustic cloud suspended above the bamboo stage. Using a system of reflectors and adjustable drapes, the cloud can be lowered or raised to ensure the highest acoustical quality for every performance.

For music students, long-accustomed to outdoor practice fields and shared rehearsal spaces, the new facility represents a giant step forward and new ways to connect with the Tampa Bay community.

The long-awaited facility officially opened to the public following a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by USF President Judy Genshaft with special guest speaker, then Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio. Cutting the ribbon on "one of the finest music facilities in the nation," Genshaft called it a "very, very important day for USF."

Selecting the Steinways

When USF President Judy Genshaft announced the university would become an All-Steinway School — using only Steinway & Sons pianos throughout the School of Music — Svetozar Ivanov got the assignment of a lifetime. It was Ivanov, associate professor of piano and chamber music, who was given the task of visiting the Steinway factories in New York City and Hamburg, Germany to choose the coveted Steinway grand pianos that would grace the new facility.

Ivanov has been playing piano since age seven. He has appeared on stages throughout the world and serves as artistic director of the Steinway Piano Series at USF.

As an All-Steinway School — the largest in Florida, and among the largest in the southeast — USF joins a prestigious list of conservatories, colleges, universities and other institutions including The Julliard School, Yale School of Music, Carnegie-Mellon University, George Mason University and the University of London, whose students and faculty practice, compose and perform exclusively on Steinway pianos.

Facility High Notes