- A 386-seat concert hall, which can be acoustically tuned for musical performances from small ensembles to large orchestras
- An experimental theater with 244 seats and flexible space for performances that allow lighting and sound from any angle
- A visual arts gallery with space, lighting and audio visual connections for two- and three-dimensional as well as digital art
- Experiential learning facilities for Flyer TV, Flyer Radio and Flyer News, including a TV studio, control room, video-editing lab, radio studio and audio production suite.
The event is 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
“The Glass Center intentionally has a front door facing the community to welcome everyone in,” said UD President Eric F. Spina, in a news release. “We invite you to tour the facility and experience what makes it so special: the imagination, the talent and the collaboration of our students, faculty and community partners.”
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
The open house will include:
- Music by more than 10 student and faculty musical groups in the concert hall, a space that can be acoustically adjusted for musical performances from solo musicians to large orchestras.
- Performances by Dayton Ballet, the Common Good Players and others in the experimental theatre, which has flexible space that allow lighting and sound from any angle.
- The Horvath Student Exhibition in the visual arts gallery, which offers lighting and audio visual connections for two and three-dimensional as well as digital art.
- Student-produced documentaries, including “Epicenter: Dayton’s Opioid Crisis,” in the experiential learning studios and spaces for Flyer TV, Flyer Radio and Flyer News.
“I want people to feel that the University of Dayton is for Dayton and we are with Dayton as we welcome the community,” said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Danielle Poe. “We (hope) this space renews creative energy and opens up collaborations.”
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Organizers said the opening season continues through the spring with performances by the Ebony Heritage Singers, University Jazz Band, University Orchestra, World Music Choir and Javanese Gamelan, and more. Additionally, the University’s Theatre, Dance and Performance Technology program and Department of Music present “Godspell” April 19-21 in the experimental theatre.
Junior Trinity Rice will perform “Day by Day” from “Godspell.” She also uses the Glass Center for a stage makeup class held in one of the dressing rooms, recital hour every Friday on the concert hall stage, and to perform original work with the Common Good Players, UD’s applied theatre troupe for social justice.
“Having this new space means having more room to explore and bring stories to life,” Rice said.
The Glass Center, designed to meet LEED-gold environmental standards, was designed in consultation with local arts organizations to complement existing venues in the region. It was supported by more than 120 donors, including faculty and staff, and Martha M. Walter, whose 2002 bequest for a future arts center was critical to making the facility possible. The cost of the project was $45 million.
More than 500 people attended the center’s soft opening Jan. 27 spotlighting the visual arts gallery’s “Get Together” exhibition. Organizers are excited about the possibility of a larger crowd Saturday as the community comes together in celebration of a new era for UD.
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
“We look forward to the community seeing the (various) spaces in order to build more opportunities for us to collaborate with the community,” Poe said. “Each of our spaces are being activated from the time of our opening in January through the semester into the summer so we are deliberately welcoming community, students and visiting artists.”
The Roger Glass Center for the Arts is located at 29 E. Creative Way, Dayton. Parking is available in either S1 or D lots. For questions or special accommodations, contact rgcaoffice@udayton.edu, call 937-229-5000 or visit udayton.edu/artssciences/about/facilities/glass-center-arts/glass-center-events.php.
GLASS CENTER SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
April 11
8 p.m. University Jazz Band
April 12
7:30 p.m. Chorale and Bella Voce
April 13
11 a.m.-2 p.m. Roger Glass Center for the Arts Community Open House
April 14
2 p.m. University of Dayton Orchestra
4:30 p.m. University of Dayton Symphonic Wind Ensemble
April 15
7:30 p.m. Brass Ensemble Night
April 16
8 p.m. University of Dayton Concert Band
April 17
8 p.m. Piano Trio Recital
April 19
7:30 p.m. “Godspell”
April 20
11 a.m. Piano Ensemble and Friends
7:30 p.m. “Godspell”
April 21
1:30 p.m. World Music Choir and Gamelan
4 p.m. “Godpsell”
April 22
8 p.m. University of Dayton Percussion Ensemble and Drumline
April 26
8 p.m. Dayton Jazz Ensemble
May 2
7 p.m. University of Dayton New Horizons Strings and Concert Bands
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