University of Miami School of Music

Media Contact: Annette Herrera

305.284.1607

January 25, 2005

“MARTA AND AUSTIN WEEKS MUSIC LIBRARY AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER OPENS AT UM”

Coral Gables, FL – On Sunday, January 30, the University of Miami held a formal dedication ceremony to mark the opening of the Marta and Austin Weeks Music Library and Technology Center. More than 400 friends, supporters, students, faculty and University administrators attended the courtyard reception and facility tour.

The new $9.9 million center brings together all of the Frost School of Music’s library holdings including scores, reference materials, books and journals, sound recordings, videos and DVDs. These materials were previously housed in the University's Otto G. Richter Library, Albert Pick Music Library, and South Campus Library Facility.

Encompassing 22,499 square feet, the Weeks Music Library is one of the most important music research centers in the southeastern United States, with over 22,000 books, 71,000 scores, 46,000 sound recordings and important collections of musical theatre archives, musical manuscripts, research collections, and e-resources.

The Technology Center’s 5,934 square feet houses advanced music production labs outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment and sophisticated software programs, providing Frost School of Music students the latest in music production and composition capabilities. Its facilities include a Multimedia Instruction and Learning Lab, Keyboard/Computer Labs, Music Engineering Technology Lab, Electronic Music Lab, and a Media Writing and Production Lab.

“This remarkable facility is the crown jewel in Marta and Austin Weeks’ legacy to the Frost School of Music. Their long-time support has made many dreams a reality for this school,” said Dean William Hipp. “Our programs and facilities have positioned us as a leading music institution in the country.”

Graduates from the School of Music have gone on to become Grammy-award winning artists, respected and in-demand engineers, and music business executives, among others.

Marta Weeks, a benefactor of multiple projects at UM, said of the contribution, “we hope that by educating and nurturing future artists we are contributing to a vibrant cultural community.”

The new music library and technology center is a companion piece to the Austin Weeks Center for Recording and Performance, which opened in 1994. Gifts from the Weeks have also established the Lewis G. Weeks Chair in Geology, and the Austin Weeks Chair in Urologic Research.

The Weeks Music Library is the newest and largest branch of the University of Miami Libraries, and University Librarian, William D. Walker, notes that “Libraries play a pivotal role in the academic advancement of our students and scholarly development of our faculty. This new facility signifies a legitimate depth and maturity to our learning-oriented and research resources.”

Architect Armando M. Rizo is partner in charge of design and operations for Rizo, Carreno & Partners. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Architecture at UM. Among Rizo’s notable and award-winning projects are the Tokyo Rose restaurant, the Hibiscus Center, and the Miami-Dade Police Department Tele-Training Center. He, along with Athena van Waardenburg of Florida Office Interiors, designed the floor plan.

The Marta and Austin Weeks Music Library and Technology Center is located in the Frost School of Music complex on the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus. The new facility opened for classes on January 18 and is open to University of Miami students, faculty, and staff, as well as the professional community for research purposes.

For more information visit the school’s Web site at www.music.miami.edu.

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The University of Miami’s mission is to educate and nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide service to our community and beyond. Committed to excellence and proud of the diversity of our University family, we strive to develop future leaders of our nation and the world.