New World Symphony and City of Miami Beach Break Ground On Frank Gehry- designed City Center

New World Symphony and City of Miami Beach Break Ground On Frank Gehry- designed City Center

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, January 23, the New World Symphony, America's Orchestral Academy (NWS), celebrated the groundbreaking of its future home: a Frank Gehry-designed campus in Miami Beach's City Center district.

(Photo:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080125/CLF054-a )
(Photo:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080125/CLF054-b )

NWS' new campus is the focal point of a Gehry-designed City Center Redevelopment Project that will further enhance the district of Miami Beach world-renowned for Lincoln Road shopping, the Jackie Gleason Theater (currently the Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater), the historic Miami Beach Convention Center, superb hotel accommodations and white-sand beaches. The project will also include the addition of a two-acre public park and a 600-plus space public parking garage, both constructed by the City of Miami Beach, adjacent to the campus.

More than 75% of the $200 million for NWS' campus will be raised through private contributions. $150 million will be used for construction, and $50 million will fund NWS' endowment, allowing its programs to expand in the new campus.

Features of the campus include a variable seating (max. 700 seat) recording/webcast/performance space with 360 degree projection capability; a digital music library; 26 individual rehearsal rooms, six ensemble rehearsal rooms and a multi-purpose room, all outfitted with Internet2 technology for long-distance learning; artist suites; Fellow changing rooms; administrative offices and over 100 instrument lockers. A signature feature of the campus will be the east facade of the building, which will showcase a glass curtain wall, allowing passersby a glimpse of the inside architecture, and a projection wall on which live concerts, master classes, large-scale images and films may be viewed from the new park.

The new campus, which represents Florida's first Frank Gehry commission, was designed as a collaborative effort between long-time friends Michael Tilson Thomas, NWS' eight-time Grammy Award-winning artistic director, and the Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry. The design takes into consideration the growing needs of the orchestral academy, as well as Miami Beach's signature Art Deco architectural style.

The New World Symphony, titled "America's Orchestral Academy" due to its unique position as a music academy for orchestral learning, provides three- year fellowships to top graduates of the United States' leading music conservatories and universities. Its training mimics the structure and schedule of a professional orchestra, and as an educational institution provides access to coaches, conductors and guests artists from around-the- world. The need for a new campus arose as the scope and reach of NWS grew rapidly throughout its 20 year history, outpacing the capabilities and space provided by its current home, the Lincoln Theatre.

In the 20 years since its founding, more than 700 New World Symphony alumni have enjoyed professional careers in 170 orchestras and ensembles worldwide. In hopes of joining its program, more than 1,000 musicians compete each year for about 35 available fellowships. Renowned guest artists and teachers from around the world, such as Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Christian Tetzlaff, Yefim Bronfman, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Emanuel Ax, Vladimir Feltsman and others bring their diverse stylistic approaches to NWS, where they foster meaningful professional relationships with its Fellows. As a result of its educational environment, the New World Symphony has achieved an international reputation for creating new models for orchestral training and performance.

Additional information about the New World Symphony, America's Orchestral Academy, may be found online at www.nws.edu.

Photo: NewsCom:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080125/CLF054-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080125/CLF054-b
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Source: New World Symphony

CONTACT: Craig Hall of the New World Symphony, +1-305-673-3330, ext. 233

Web site:

http://www.nws.edu/

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