New York, NY (Top40 Charts) A soprano whose voice dazzled judges at a recent major Metropolitan Opera competition, Ana Collado has had her share of memorable rehearsals at the University of Miami's Phillip and
Patricia Frost School of Music, but none quite like the session she recently experienced.
"I felt free," said the UM vocal performance major. "I could sing without feeling like I had to push to hear my sound come back."
Credit the acoustics and soundproofing of the Frost School's new state-of-the-art teaching studios for her freedom. With independent walls, floors, and ceilings, each studio is, according to Frost School Dean Shelton "Shelly" Berg, a "floating box within a box," allowing students to practice and learn without having to hear the percussionist, brass, or string artist practicing next door.
Recently, on a cool South Florida day, hundreds of music lovers got a firsthand look at those high-tech rooms when UM dedicated its new
Patricia Louise Frost
Music Studios, a 41,089-square-foot twin-building complex that will unite the school's 770 students and 125 faculty "like never before," said Berg.
"There's no question this is going to have a huge impact," Berg said of the new facility. "A lot of our faculty were teaching in practice rooms instead of real teaching studios. Now, they have the best teaching studios in the country."
Among the features: 77 chamber music and teaching studios, two oversized rehearsal halls, a reception and information center, and a furnished breezeway. Designed by award-winning architects Yann Weymouth and HOK and built by Skanska USA, the facility is touted as the first building project in
Coral Gables designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification, with sustainable features such as energy-efficient windows, rooftop solar panels, and cisterns that reduce water and electricity usage.
The complex is part of UM's Momentum2 campaign and is made possible by the benefactors, Phillip and
Patricia Frost, whose landmark gift back in 2003 renamed UM's music school in their honor. Featuring a new grand entrance into the school, the studios honor
Patricia Frost's lifelong commitment to music education as an elementary school principal and higher education advocate.
To read the full release, visit:
https://www6.miami.edu/momentum2/news_2015_2_20_patricia_louise_frost_music_studios.html
