A Dream Realized

Dan Stone

A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality. John Lennon

ream building is not for the faint of heart. Great visions often appear in a flash, but

successful dreams require staying power. They must endure. Set in motion by a hardy, select few sights set on the long haul, primed and ready for the many jolts and obstacles encountered along the way dreams gather speed over time fueled always by the abiding support and inspiration of an entire community.

The Green Music Center is far more than a group of buildings it is the culmination of a shared dream, deeply rooted in the Sonoma County community, and brought to fruition by a dedicated family of donors and supporters, who pulled in others some just happened along as if by chance resulting in a cast of players we could not have imagined, much less scripted. It is a vision that encapsulates excellence in the arts, education, and culture. It is the story of many people who dared to think big and strive for excellence, and who along the way created a reality that will reshape an entire region. The journey thus far has been a prologue the foundation upon which we will create the remaining narrative. The first chapter truly begins now, with the grand opening of Weill Hall at Sonoma State University, a story that we will all write together for many years to come. continued on page 47
encore art sprograms.com 9

A DREAM REALIZED, continued from page 9 The journey began in the 1990s, when local philanthropists and music enthusiasts Donald and Maureen Green set forth with an idea: to build a choral recital hall in Sonoma County the land of fine wines, dazzling weather and spectacular surroundings. The Greens were founding members of the Bach Choir at Sonoma State University led by music professor Bob Worth. Over lunch in the spring of 1996, the three lamented over the campus lack of a suitable hall for choral music. Don pledged his commitment to the building of such a facility, should his upcoming IPO of Advanced Fibre Communications prove successful which it ultimately did. Meanwhile, SSU President Ruben Armiana had been developing his own visions for the campus and the community. Several years before, Dr. Armiana and his wife, Marne Olson, had attended a concert at Seiji Ozawa Hall at the famed Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts, and were impressed by the acoustical perfection and intriguing design. A rear wall opened onto sweeping lawns a space for community to enjoy music in a festive setting this was a model that both Ruben and Marne recognized would be perfect for the beautiful wine country. Something like this belongs in California, Ruben said. We have better weather in the summer cooler and dry. A music center like this would fulfill the role of the arts in a public institution.
Linnea Mullins

With the Greens vision of building a choral hall beginning to take shape, they were introduced to Ruben and Marne, who shared with them their ideas of an Ozawa Hall of the West, an expanded model of the choral venue they were already committed to building: a world-class concert venue at a public university. It would blend extraordinary performances with educational opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds. A trip to Tanglewood followed for Don and Maureen, where they

Linnea Mullins

Two Visions Realized

GMC

Congratulations!

Wealth Management Consultants becomes Buckingham Asset Management. Proud sponsors of the Green Music Center.

Building Relationships by Doing the Right Thing

encore art sprograms.com 47

A DREAM REALIZED
Linnea Mullins Linnea Mullins

santa rosa Jr. college

witnessed firsthand the centers impact on the community through performances, student rehearsals, and master classes. The larger vision took hold, and these four founders almost immediately began the planning of the great center. But a dream of four needs much more to become reality. Enter another character to our story, the Santa Rosa Symphony. Founded in 1928, this remarkable regional symphony had long been led by a local prodigy and his equally gifted wife, Corrick and Norma Brown. For more than thirty years, Corrick reigned as conductor of the symphony and watched as the program thrived with generous community support and encouragement. Marne Olson an active board member of the Santa Rosa Symphony and the other founders extended an invitation to the symphony to make the Green Music Center its new performance home. Though Corrick had already left his post as conductor passing on the baton to another local star, Jeffrey Kahane he and Norma felt that this was the opportunity of a lifetime for the symphony. The orchestra and its growing audience had encountered a ceiling of a more literal sort: it desperately needed a concert hall having acoustics worthy of the musical excellence it had already achieved. The stars of Sonoma County were truly aligning when Corrick and Norma entered the picture of this growing idea a music hall built to the standards of utmost excellence, and just down the road from the symphonys current home. By 1998, Santa Rosa Symphony had made its commitment to the project, launching a capital campaign for the building of its future home on the SSU campus. The community that had long enabled the symphony to flourish began fundraising wholeheartedly for this new vision.
gmc.sonoma.edu

48 Weill Hall at sonoma state university

green music center

Linnea Mullins

Green Music Center Music Education Building

Sonoma State University

Don, Ruben, and Corrick each key figures in their respective fields signed on as co-chairs of a broad community fundraising campaign. They attended countless receptions hosted and organized by private citizens. Together, they mounted the largest private fundraising campaign in the Sonoma County history. And so we are introduced to the other visionaries, who heard about this grand plan and dedicated themselves to the building of the Green Music Center. To date, more than 1800 donors private and corporate have contributed more than $62 million for this world-class facility. While our founders had proven themselves more than capable at dreambuilding, a team was needed to begin the actual construction of the center. And who better to engage than those responsible for Ozawa Hall? The firms of architect William Rawn and acoustician Larry Kirkegaard were brought on board to design again something akin to their jewel from Tanglewood. The design echoed in many ways that of Ozawa Hall, but integrated with seamless beauty the surrounding landscape of Sonoma County: windows opening to the idyllic countryside, a palette resonating with the colors of the Sonoma scenery, the architecture itself reminiscent of the rolling hills. Yet despite the success of these first few years, a dark period threatened to dampen the project. An economic downturn swept across the nation in 2007, dramatically stalling both construction and fundraising for the center. The four walls of the concert hall stood erect, a lingering reminder of the dream to which so many had subscribed. With budget crises plaguing the nation, the state, and the educational system of California, the resilient founders faced

54 3 H owa r d St r eet S a n F r a n c i s co , C a l i f o r n i a 4 15 . 29 3 .570 0

See more: www.bararch.com

BA

A DREAM REALIZED mounting criticism for a dream only partially complete. Fate once again dealt an unexpected hand in the fall of 2010, when a couple from New York City bought a home in the nearby town of Sonoma and forever changed the story of the Green Music Center. Sanford Weill had made a name for himself on Wall Street as the former chief executive of Citigroup. He was equally well known in the music world as the longtime chairman of Carnegie Hall. His wife, Joan, had also cemented her place in the landscape of performing arts as chairman of the board of the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation. Longtime supporters of education from Weill Cornell Medical College to numerous programs aimed at underprivileged youth the Weills were intrigued when they heard from a new neighbor about the unfinished music center at the nearby university. Not long after, Joan and Sandy visited the campus and toured the concert hall and surrounding facilities. They were impressed, but needed an expert to assess the acoustics. Sandy called President Armiana and said, I have a friend whos going to be in San Francisco, and Id like for him to come and see the hall and give me his opinion. He then added, Hell be there around 11:30 at night. And his name is LangLang. An internationally acclaimed pianist and close friend of the Weills, Lang Lang made the late-night trip to the Green Music Center after a recital at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. For nearly an hour, he played the Steinway on the concert hall stage, adjusting the acoustic curtains and assessing the sound. I played a lot of things, from Bach to Chopin to Rachmaninoff to Beethoven, Lang Lang recalled in a recent interview. For me, the hall is very similar to Tanglewood. Its really perfect. With this vote of confidence, the Weills made their commitment: a $12 million gift to complete the hall and outdoor spaces. And a new name was bestowed upon the Green Music Centers crown jewel: the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Hall. We care deeply about the communities we live and work in, said Joan. When we first toured the Green Music Center we were immediately inspired by the beauty, the acoustics and the wonderful potential for this spectacular arts venue. And now, the prelude gives way to the real story this was all just a warm-up. Countless donors and supporters have committed themselves to the vision: a continuous workshop of music and dance, arts and ideas; a public university that is a bustling hub of cultural activity at all stages of life and learning. A center casual but elegant, intimate and welcoming where our students will encounter nuance and true virtuosity displayed and revealed by the very best musicians, dancers, thinkers, writers, entrepreneurs, movers and shakers from all fields and arenas. This weekend marks the first chapter of a dream realized. From this point forward, the narrative will focus on giving life to our longstanding mantra: Aim High. Reach Wide. Educate All. Welcome, everyone, to the next chapter of Sonoma State University. Welcome to Weill Hall at the Green Music Center.
gmc.sonoma.edu

On Campus Presents, a student-centered programming group, will feature entertainment from contemporary Artists to comedy acts to lecturers and educators. Upcoming OCP events at WeiLL Hall: Fri, Nov 2 Matt Nathanson 8:00 PM and Only 1 Noah

Sun, Nov 4 Aziz Ansari 8:00 PM

Tue, Nov 13 7:00 PM

Van Jones

For more information visit: gmc.sonoma.edu/events