Wanda L. Bass School of Music
Sector
Performing Arts, Education
Location
Oklahoma City, OK
Year Completed
2006
Beck Design was hired by Oklahoma City University to perform a long range master plan, needs assessment, programming, fundraising, and full A&E services for their Bass Music Center for the Arts.
The crown jewel of the master plan was the 101,919-square foot, $38.4 million addition that is home to the Wanda L. Bass School of Music.
Serving as the collegiate “front door” and cultural gateway to the campus’ arts district, it was important the building’s exterior spaces strengthen the ties between the University and the Oklahoma City community.
The Wanda L. Bass School of Music, built to the highest acoustical standards, includes a new black box theatre, five music labs, six ensemble rehearsal rooms, 11 recording venues, 40 teaching studios, 60 sound-isolated practice rooms, and two composition labs.
The master plan includes a new 1,100 seat performing arts center, an 800 seat opera house, a 300 seat organ hall, a music school addition, a theatre/dance/drama department, visual arts, and infrastructure and major upgrades to the campus chilled water plant.
Since opening in 2006, the 113,000-square-foot Bass Music Center has hosted artists and educators from around the world, including the International Society of Bassists, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Society of Composers, Inc., and the NEA sponsored Arts Education Partnership.
