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Celebrating a new performing arts space at Nazareth College

Nazareth College/Twitter

Nazareth College on Saturday night took the wraps off the new Jane and Laurence Glazer Music Performance Center.

Located adjacent to the Nazareth College Arts Center, the $15.5 million building includes a 550-seat venue designed specifically for the acoustics of large instrumental ensembles.

Nazareth College President Daan Braveman says that music is now the 2nd largest major at the college. And he says even for students who are not majoring in music, this new space will help them continue their musical interest. 

“We get about a hundred students a year who major in some other subject but they want to continue to play an instrument or sing and be in an ensemble of some kind. So there was a huge demand on our facilities, specifically for music.”

Braveman says that the new building will help the many students and faculty who perform in concerts and it will also be an asset to the community at large.  

“We’re starting partnerships with other entities around the community so the RPO has already scheduled a date in March to use this facility so this is not only a benefit to the college, but really is great benefit to the community.”

The new performing arts center was named after Jane and Larry Glazer, entrepreneurs and philanthropists who died in a plane crash in 2014. Jane Glazer was also a graduate of Nazareth.

Credit Nazareth College/Twitter

Braveman says the Glazers were not the kinds of people who sought to have their names on buildings, but he says they would have appreciated this honor. 

“If they were going to get recognition this is exactly the kind of facility that they would like because it’s really for students, it’s for not only current students but future generations of students and because it will have such a great impact on the community and they were so community focused.”

Nazareth officials say the new center has excellent acoustics and it is specifically designed for the acoustics of certain types of instrumental ensembles. The festivities Saturday night included a work commissioned for the event with Emmy award winning composer and Nazareth alumnus Jack Allocco conducting the Nazareth College Symphony Orchestra, Chorus and Jazz Ensemble.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.