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| New SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco Today, the SFJAZZ Board of Trustees announced plans to build the first permanent home for the 28-year-old San Francisco institution, one of the world's most comprehensive and innovative jazz organizations. The SFJAZZ Center, to be located at 205 Franklin Street in San Francisco's Hayes Valley neighborhood, will be a 35, 000 square-foot free-standing structure designed by San Francisco architect Mark Cavagnero, of Mark Cavagnero Associates. The new facility will provide a dynamic and contemporary complement to the cultural assets in Hayes Valley. Led by an anonymous gift of $20 million, the largest ever given to a jazz institution, the ongoing capital campaign will raise $60 million toward construction of the new SFJAZZ Center and toward the expansion of the SFJAZZ endowment. "The SFJAZZ Center represents a major transformation for SFJAZZ" "The SFJAZZ Center represents a major transformation for SFJAZZ, " said Srinija Srinivasan, Chair of the Board of Trustees. "It's more than a new home for the organization; it represents a place where the world of jazz music and education can be expressed and enjoyed in all its diversity, by all its global characters. This American art form has gone around the world and come back again. The SFJAZZ Center is our way of giving it the home it deserves." The SFJAZZ Center will allow SFJAZZ to efficiently integrate its mission under one roof – presenting world class artists in concert throughout the year, developing young musicians and promoting music education through jazz outreach programs to Bay Area students and adults. The facility will also enable SFJAZZ to further its goal to be a global leader in jazz music preservation and innovation. The SFJAZZ Center will be a place where the public, musicians and students can come to listen, network and learn. "This building will be a beacon for the future of jazz, " said Randall Kline, SFJAZZ Founder and Executive Artistic Director. "Most importantly, it will offer musicians like the many greats who we've presented – including nearly every major performer in jazz and numerous emerging artists – a building that embodies the beauty of this indigenous art form." The SFJAZZ Board of Trustees seeks to create a landmark building designed to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification. Cavagnero's design features an innovative auditorium with flexible seating for 350 to 700; advanced technology for performance recording and digital-age broadcasts to global audiences; an 80-seat multi-purpose Ensemble Room for performance and education; three rehearsal spaces; a digital learning lab; and a sidewalk-level restaurant/café. "The SFJAZZ Center will be distinct from more formal concert halls, " said architect Mark Cavagnero. "Its design elements will capture the creative, non-hierarchical and improvisational spirit of the music form. The building's concrete frame and translucent skin express the energy and functions within, including the flexible, large main theatre, an intimate 80-seat ensemble room, and a café that features live jazz. The glass-enclosed ground floor will engage passersby along the well-travelled neighboring streets and welcome visitors." PROGRAM VISION The SFJAZZ Center will create a home for jazz presentation and education in the San Francisco Bay Area. Additionally, the creation of the Center establishes a new home for the SFJAZZ Collective. The SFJAZZ Collective began in 2004 with a mission to bring together the world's finest jazz musicians to examine and explore the work of a great jazz master and to allow each member to compose an original work. The Collective tours the world, bringing a new body of the jazz canon to people everywhere. write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Jazz News :: home page |