Southern Utah University Opens New Eccles Music Center With Three-day Celebration

Southern Utah University is getting ready to celebrate the opening of a major new addition to its campus — and the sound of that celebration will be music.

SUU will hold a three-day grand opening celebration for the new George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Music Center September 24 through 26, giving students, faculty, alumni and the community an opportunity to experience the new facility.

The 51,250-square-foot Eccles Music Center will become the new home of SUU’s growing music program. The facility includes a state-of-the-art concert hall, rehearsal and practice spaces and specialized facilities designed to support music education and performances.

person playing stringed instrument

The celebration begins Thursday, September 24, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 p.m. as part of SUU’s Homecoming activities.

Open House And Free Concerts Part Of The Celebrations

That evening, the university will present its Grand Opening Concert at 8 p.m. The performance will bring together SUU music students, alumni, faculty and members of the Cedar City community. A second performance is scheduled for Friday, September 25, at 7 p.m.

The concerts are free, although tickets are required.

a group of people playing musical instruments in a room

The celebration continues Saturday, September 26, with a community open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., following the SUU Homecoming Parade. The open house will give members of the public an opportunity to tour the new building while hearing performances and recitals.

SUU Music Department Chair Dr. Adam Lambert said the new center provides a home that reflects the talent and ambition of the university’s students, faculty and alumni, while also creating a place where music can be shared with the community for generations.

Courtesy SUU Media Relations

That may be one of the most important parts of the project. The Eccles Music Center is a university facility, but music has never been particularly interested in staying inside university boundaries. Performances bring together students, parents, alumni, longtime Cedar City residents and people who simply enjoy hearing somebody play something better than the rest of us can manage in the living room.

Read More: NASA Taps SUU For Aerospace Worker Education

The new center gives those performances a permanent home — and gives Southern Utah another place where education, the arts and community life can come together.

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After years of planning and construction, SUU is ready to open the doors, turn on the lights and, appropriately enough, let the music begin.