The School of Music is housed in the 130,000 square feet Music Building. Nestled in Peabody Park on the north side of the UNC Greensboro campus, it is among the finest music facilities in the nation and one of the largest academic buildings on our campus. The three-story structure houses the Harold Schiffman Music Library, the 350-seat Tew Recital Hall, the 125-seat Organ Hall, classrooms, studios, practice rooms, rehearsal halls, a computer lab, electronic music studios, practice rooms with virtual acoustical environment technology, and a recording studio. Many performances are presented in our historic UNCG Auditorium, a classic structure that recently underwent a $19 million renovation.
Performance Halls
UNCG Auditorium
Our largest, premier hall for major performances, large ensemble concerts, and opera productions.
The UNCG Auditorium is a 1,642 seat proscenium-style theatre. The building was completed in 1927 with seating for 2,288. In 2008, UNCG auditorium underwent a $19 million dollar renovation which added improved acoustics, more leg room for patrons, and a double-lift orchestra pit. The hall is used for musical productions, operas, symphonies, ensembles, University Concert and Lecture Series, faculty and guest dance performances, and various other performing arts events.
Performance Halls
Tew Recital Hall
Our primary performance space in the Music Building.
Tew Recital Hall is named in honor of Christopher and Laura Braxton Tew, both UNCG Class of 1969 alumni, who provided a generous gift of $1 million to the School of Music to mark the 50th anniversary of the Class of 1969’s graduation.
The 350-seat hall can accommodate concerts ranging from solo recitals to chamber orchestra and small ensembles.
Performance Halls
Organ Hall
A 125-seat facility used primarily for solo recitals.
The Organ Recital Hall provides an intimate atmosphere, featuring a stunning 35-rank pipe organ made by the Andover Organ Company of Massachusetts.
Classrooms
Electronic Music Studios
A computer/music laboratory space open to students.
The composition area features the state-of-the-art Alice Virginia Poe Williams Electronic Music Studios: a Mac-based 8.1 surround studio and a PC-based 5.1 surround studio, with speaker configurations that can be replicated in Tew Recital Hall. Typical software used includes Max/MSP, Logic, ProTools, Ableton Live, Cubase, Reason, and Absynth. Studio equipment is available for both creating cutting-edge electronic music and making professional-quality studio and concert recordings. UNCG offers two electronic music studios both with 5.1 and 8.1 channel surround sound and numerous digital audio workstations such as Logic, Ableton, Pro Tools, and Reason.
Classrooms
Recording Studio
Classrooms
Rehearsal Spaces
The School has many spaces for individual students and groups to practice.
- 46 General Practice Rooms (12 with small grand pianos, 34 with upright pianos)
- 2 Organ Practice Rooms
- 3 Practice Rooms with Virtual Acoustical Environment (VAE) technology
- 8 Percussion Practice Rooms
- 3 Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Rooms
- 1 Large Chorus/Opera Rehearsal Room
- 1 Large Instrumental Music Rehearsal Room
- 1 Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal Room
- 1 Harp Practice Room
Classrooms
SMART CLASSROOMS
The Music Building has a number of technology enhanced classrooms of varying size.
Nearly all classrooms have a projector or display, a computer, document camera, Blu-ray player, speakers, and inputs for various laptops, tablets, and phones. The rooms utilize a touch-panel control systems to provide an easy-to-use experience and request assistance when needed.
In addition to our traditional classrooms, the large instrumental and chorus/opera rehearsal rooms have similar setups with projectors and computers to facilitate the displaying of musical scores and the teaching of lecture and laboratory classes. Furthermore, these spaces have audio recording setups to record rehearsals and videoconference with guest artists.
Residence Hall
Studio 91
A learning-living community for campus artists.
Studio 91 is a living community housed in newly renovated Cone Residence Hall just minutes from the School of Music. Residents are majors or minors in arts fields such as art, dance, music or theatre, or those who have a special affinity for the arts.
Through specialized programming, students in Cone Hall have the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the arts, support each other in creative work and experience deeper connections between the arts at UNCG and within the Greensboro community.
Music students living in Studio 91 have the opportunity to benefit from:
- Access to a wing of private practice rooms, music and design computer lab, an arts studio, and a dance practice room with a sprung floor and mirrors
- Close proximity to performances and exhibitions
- Faculty presentations and guest lectures
- Arts-centric programming exclusive to Cone residents
- Mentorship from upperclass peer guides
- Collaboration between students across the arts
Research Facilities
Harold Schiffman Music Library
The library occupies nearly 10,000 square feet of space within the Music Building.
The Harold Schiffman Music Library (HSML) exists to support the educational, research, and service goals of the School of Music and the University Libraries by providing music resources, information, and services required by students, faculty, staff, and community members. These services include music reference, instruction, and the acquisition and provision of materials and information in person, by phone, email, and chat.
The library includes an extensive collection of nearly 100,000 physical items, including 47,000 scores, 23,000 books, 3,400 serial titles, 14,000 albums and CDs, 700 video recordings, and thousands of volumes of periodicals, plus extensive online streaming audio and video options.
Public access computers and equipment for sound and video playback are available for patron use.
Outdoor Spaces
Elizabeth Herring Garden
An outdoor oasis for music students, faculty, and staff.
The Herring Garden was donated by Dr. William Herring as a living memorial to his wife, Elizabeth, and dedicated in October of 1999. Dr. and Mrs. Herring had a long association with the School of Music, both serving as officers in the Musical Arts Guild. Located on the south side of the Music Building, the design of the Garden has forms and rhythms which relate to music and includes a reflection pool and fountain.
Off-Campus Partners
The Carolina Theatre
Our downtown home away from home.
Billed as the “Showplace of the Carolinas” when she opened in 1927, today The Carolina Theatre is home to concerts from artists across all genres, classic and independent movies, community theatre and dance. The third-floor loft theatre, The Crown at the Carolina, plays host to a number of performances by students and faculty in the Miles Davis Jazz Studies and Popular Music and Technology (PopTech) programs.
The elegant downtown theatre is also home to Opera at the Carolina, a collaboration between the UNCG Opera Theatre, the Greensboro Opera, and Guilford County Schools. Each year, a fully-staged opera is presented to over 6,000 fifth graders during a three-day run.