Donors offer $500,000 matching grant for performing arts center

Donors offer $500,000 matching grant for performing arts center

 

ANGOLA — Two anonymous donors recently challenged Trine University to a $500,000 matching grant for the renovation of the T. Furth Center for Performing Arts, a building which served as the Angola Christian Church for more than a century.

 
The university plans to renovate the center in response to growing student interest in the arts and also to establish a venue for large-scale productions, concerts and other events.  If the university makes the matching grant, it will be $1 million closer to its $6 million goal for the project.

 
“We are so grateful for this gift, which will enable students to pursue their passions in arts and music,” said Earl D. Brooks II, president of Trine University. “The university shares a long and rich history with the Angola Christian Church facility as it was home to many commencement ceremonies over the years. It is important that we all work to make this a reality now and for future generations to come for both the community and students alike.”

 
While Trine University has a reputation of being a respected engineering school, many don’t realize that it also has an artistic tradition. When the university was founded as Tri-State Normal College in 1884, students could major in piano, vocal culture, organ and theory. A music hall, where students gave productions and concerts, proudly stood near the northwest corner of Darling Street and Park Avenue. An amphitheater also was near Taylor Hall.

 
In the university’s first catalog, the school advertised its music program as follows: “We give all the advantages to be had in any conservatory and at the cost much less than is charged at any other school. The plan of teaching consists both of the conservatory or class system and private lessons.”

 
By 1924, the university changed its name to Tri-State College and dropped music classes, but kept band and choir on as extracurricular activities for students. As time gave way to the Second World War, the school put more emphasis on technical classes.
 

Four years ago, Trine began a quest to return to its roots by offering, once again, music classes. In 2006, the university had a 12-member pep band made up of faculty members and students. This year, the program has grown to include four bands, an orchestra and two choirs with more than 160 students. Other people also take piano and music theory classes.
 

Mark Kays, Trine’s band director, explained that more than 75 percent of students in the school’s two jazz bands are engineering students.
 

“The mind of an engineer lends itself to being a musician,” Kays said. “If you have a student who is looking to go to an engineering school, Trine is a good option because it allows students with a love for music to pursue it as an extracurricular activity. Most likely, a student who plays an instrument or sings will want an outlet for their music, even it’s not going to be the focus of their careers.”

 
Kays also explained that the new performing arts center will allow students to stage large-scale productions. He said that the center’s Ryan Concert Hall will have amazing acoustics, a green room and wing space to allow stage changes more efficiently and professionally.

 
“If we’re going to have any kind of performing arts, we have to have a venue where they can perform,” Kays said. ”Especially at the university level, one of the things we teach our musicians isn’t just how to perform, but also how to be professionals when you perform.”

 
“We hope our alumni, community members and friends see the long-term benefits of this matching-grant opportunity,” Brooks said. “We have only six months to meet the match, which could bring us $1 million closer to our goal of starting another chapter in our history as we renovate this building for the enjoyment of the arts. We hope you can help us to make this a reality for generations to come.”

 
For more information about giving opportunities for the Furth project, contact the Trine University Office of Development at 260.665.4114.