Story provided by OSU News
Members of the Cowboy family celebrated the grand opening of the Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music building Saturday. The event kicked off with the sound of student performances resonating throughout the first floor as guests toured the many unique spaces.
“Over the past decade, the Cowboy family has intentionally woven visual and performing arts into the fabric of OSU’s identity,” said OSU President Kayse Shrum. “The Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music is the latest example of how we continue to elevate the arts as an integral part of OSU’s land-grant mission.”
The transformational facility amplifies music at Oklahoma State University, where students have already begun utilizing many of the practice spaces and rehearsal halls on the first floor.
Glen Krutz, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, welcomed the crowd and expressed his excitement on how the building will impact OSU.
“Students from the sciences, business, engineering, education and many other disciplines are encouraged to play in our music ensembles,” Krutz said. “This new building quite literally serves the entire OSU campus.”
Dedication to student success has always been an integral part of OSU’s land-grant mission, and the Greenwood School of Music illustrates that dedication in nearly every square foot.
Every design aspect focused on the students and how to best help them succeed. The building was created with slanted walls for favorable acoustics, specialized applied instruction studios, ample student practice rooms and advanced technology throughout.
“We are indeed in the midst of a transformative period at Oklahoma State, and the trajectory of the performing arts at OSU has been profoundly affected,” said Jeff Loeffert, director of the Greenwood School of Music. “This facility enables our students to achieve at levels we never dreamed possible and will stand toe to toe with the absolute best programs in the country.”
More than 100 people have donated to the project, including lead donors Michael and Anne Greenwood.
“OSU Music has always been so very talented and done so much but with limited resources,” Anne Greenwood said. “But now with the addition of this state-of-the-art facility, they at long last have all they need to be even better and to grow professionally.”
Overall, fundraising efforts for the building have been extremely collaborative. Many students, faculty, staff and alumni are banding together to honor former music faculty and staff.
The Foundation and College are still working to raise the final $1.4 million in private gifts. Prominent rooms and rehearsal halls in the building are still available for donors to name.
If you’d like to support the Greenwood School of Music or get more information on remaining spaces, please contact Laura Ketchum at 405-385-0701 or [email protected].
