Light and Sound at UCSD's Conrad Prebys Music Center

Situated at the heart of the University of California at San Diego’s emerging “arts district,” the Conrad Prebys Music Center provides a central focus for music and arts for the campus and the region. The 84,000-square-foot facility is the new home of the UCSD Department of Music, internationally recognized for its innovative, forward-thinking program.

The building embodies the department’s ambitious, inventive culture. Every room is designed as an acoustical space. In addition to the main 400-seat concert hall, the facility provides 3 other theater spaces: a 150-seat lecture/recital hall with natural acoustics; a flexible 200-seat experimental laboratory theater with electronic acoustics; and an ensemble rehearsal hall for chamber, choral, and orchestral music. Throughout, the facility is dense with new technology in its computer music labs, practice rooms, student recording suites, and faculty studios. (Click >> top right)

Conrad Prebys Music Center

The centerpiece of the facility is the intimate main concert hall, designed in collaboration with a world-renowned acoustical consultant and quickly developing an international reputation as one of the leading halls of its kind. The architectural expression of the hall’s interior integrates acoustical science, resulting in an asymmetrical system of triangular panels. The surface angles are carefully calibrated to achieve specific acoustical qualities of clarity, diffusion, warmth, and envelopment.

The design emphasizes transparency and interactivity with the campus environment.

Related Links

• > YouTube: Music Center Draws Curtain on New Era for UCSD
• > Work: Conrad Prebys Music Center