9 February 2024
TOPEKA (KSNT) – A new building dedicated to students of music is taking shape on Washburn University’s (WU) campus.
Sarah Towle with WU said in an advisory on Friday that a group of university leaders and donors will gather to break ground on the Dr. James Hurd Recital Hall. This new building will be situated to the north of White Concert Hall next to the Rita Blitt Gallery and Sculpture Garden.
This 175-seat space will give students and staff several benefits such as providing technological capabilities to livestream performances, fewer scheduling conflicts, cutting-edge technology for artists to record their music and a flat surface that can be adapted to the performance at hand. The building is the result of a $5 million donation from donors.
Towle said the Washburn Board of Regents voted to name the building after Hurd as a way to honor his memory. He graduated from WU in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in music and performed at locations around the world while also serving as a professor in California.
The groundbreaking will be held at 3 p.m. on Feb. 9 on WU’s campus north of White Concert Hall. You can learn more about the plans for the recital hall by clicking here.
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