![\"Kilbourn](\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Kilbourn-Hall.jpg\")
The University’s Eastman School of Music today announced two gifts totaling $700,000 that will provide support for substantial renovations to the school\u2019s historic Kilbourn Hall. The Avangrid Foundation has committed $400,000 to the project and the Kenneth and Myra Monfort Charitable Foundation Inc. will contribute $300,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a special day for Eastman and the City of Rochester,\u201d said Jamal Rossi, the Joan and Martin Messinger Dean of the Eastman School of Music. \u201cWe are so grateful to the Avangrid Foundation and to the Monfort Foundation for providing the critical funding we need to appropriately and carefully upgrade this historic theater.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Avangrid Foundation, on behalf of its subsidiary Rochester Gas and Electric, is dedicated to supporting projects and organizations that enhance the quality of life in its local communities. Kilbourn Hall, often referred to as the \u201ccommunity\u2019s living room,\u201d is a fitting recipient for the foundation\u2019s largest-ever gift.\u00a0 In recognition of this gift, the lobby of Kilbourn Hall will be named in honor of the Avangrid Foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are pleased to support the arts in Rochester and at the Eastman School of Music,\u201d said Robert Kump, president of the Avangrid Foundation. \u201cKilbourn Hall is one of Rochester\u2019s cultural jewels, and this renovation will ensure that the community can enjoy it for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to serving as the primary location for Eastman\u2019s faculty, student, and guest artist recitals, the 444-seat hall plays host to the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival and the First Niagara Fringe Festival and has welcomed legendary artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Ron Carter, and Dave Brubeck. Considered one of the finest chamber music halls in the world, Kilbourn\u2019s outstanding acoustics also make it a frequent choice for commercial recording sessions.<\/p>\n
Support from the Monfort Charitable Foundation comes from longtime patrons of the Eastman School of Music Myra Monfort and her husband, Eastman alumnus William Runyan \u201973E (MA), \u201983E (PhD). In recognition of their gift, the stage at Kilbourn Hall will be named in their honor.<\/p>\n
The renovation plans will preserve Kilbourn Hall\u2019s unparalleled acoustics while enhancing the audience experience through seating, lighting, and stage upgrades. Refurbishments will take place in the summer of 2016 and the hall will reopen for the 2016\u20132017 academic year.<\/p>\n
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The Avangrid Foundation has committed $400,000 to the project to renovate the historic space, and the Kenneth and Myra Monfort Charitable Foundation Inc. will contribute $300,000.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":762,"featured_media":152902,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13092],"tags":[18612,3286,20172],"class_list":["post-152892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-arts","tag-announcements","tag-eastman-school-of-music","tag-giving"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n