The campaign to revitalize critical spaces in the University of Washington Music Building has reached an important milestone, with generous gifts from UW friends helping to secure funding necessary to unlock matching funds from UW leadership and to move the project to the next phase of planning.
School of Music acting director Joël-François Durand recently announced to faculty and staff that LMN Architects will be the official prime consultant and lead design team for the renovations.
“The next phase of the project will be the work on the details of design for the renovation,” he said. “The actual construction is scheduled to start in June 2026, after the 2025-26 school year is over.” Renovation plans include extensive modernization of the school’s Brechemin Auditorium, creation of a new recital hall, and rejuvenation of public spaces.
Seattle-based LMN Architects is deeply experienced in the creation of arts and culture spaces as well as spaces inhabited by schools of music. Some relevant projects include Seattle’s leading performing arts spaces—Benaroya Hall and McCaw Hall, home of Seattle Symphony and Pacific Northwest Ballet; the Voxman Music Building at the University of Iowa; Conrad Prebys Music Center at the University of California, San Diego; and various regional community arts centers, including Vashon Center for the Arts, Federal Way Performing Arts and Events Center, and the Buxton Center for Bainbridge Performing Arts. The firm excels in the design of collaborative, flexible spaces conducive to innovative work in the arts, with special attention paid to optimizing acoustic and technological environments.
"The support provided by Provost Tricia Serio and Dean of Arts and Sciences Dianne Harris is an unprecedented commitment to the centrality of the arts at the UW," Durand says. "In addition to the financial investment from UW leadership, we are extremely grateful to our donors who have already contributed almost $2 million of the School’s commitment to raise $2.5 million by March 2025 to complete the project in its entirety. Thank you for considering joining this exciting and vital campaign."
For more information, contact: Stephanie Kornfeld, Director of Advancement for the Arts, at kornfs@uw.edu.