FACILITIES

The Dekelboum Concert Hall is the grand performance home for the School of Music’s large ensembles including the UMD Symphony Orchestra, UMD Wind Orchestra, UMD Wind Ensemble and UMD Repertoire Orchestra. Featuring 970 seats, the beautiful and functional architectural design of the hall augments the big, sweeping sounds of large ensembles while providing an unobstructed view of the stage with a riser system that allows all members of performing ensembles to be visible to the audience. Adjustable acoustical curtains help ensure ideal sound quality for performances and recordings.

The Gildenhorn Recital Hall is a visual and acoustical beauty for small ensembles, chamber groups, opera scenes and student and faculty recitalists. Referred to by the architect as the “jewel box” of The Clarice, the Gildenhorn Recital Hall is an intimate space with bright acoustics. Featuring 297 seats, it offers a warm and inviting setting for solo and chamber artists. An adjustable acoustical curtain helps ensure ideal sound quality for performance and recordings.

The Kay Theatre is a classic proscenium theatre housing 626 seats that combines the atmosphere of an “Old Broadway” house with the amenities of a state-of-the-art performance venue. With a massive fly system, theatrical lighting, expansive wing space and an adjacent scene shop, this theatre is home to the full productions of the Maryland Opera Studio and is favored by jazz big bands and large world music ensembles.

The Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library (MSPAL) carries more than 300,000 holdings/recordings, including the renowned International Piano Archives at Maryland. Its location inside The Clarice is a valuable asset and rare convenience for students by being a specialized library located in the same building as the School of Music.

MSPAL is the central location on the College Park campus for music, theater and dance materials. MSPAL's circulating, reference, serial and special collections combine to make it one of the country's most comprehensive university libraries of its kind. Opened in 2000 as part of The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, MSPAL's public spaces include a spacious main reading room, a separate reading room for special collections, a lounge-style study room, a seminar room and a group study room. A multimedia exhibition gallery, with an adjacent lecture/concert room, links the library to The Clarice's exciting programming via the Grand Pavilion.

Throughout MSPAL patrons find a variety of comfortable spaces for reading, listening, viewing and studying. Individual carrels with computer workstations provide access to the UMD Libraries' full complement of electronic resources and feature an excellent remote audio/video delivery system.

Reference librarians, curators and expert permanent staff are available on weekdays during regular working hours. However, the library is open evening and weekend hours, and offers basic circulation and information services during those times.

MSPAL is particularly well known for its special collections; over a mile of manuscripts, letters, sound recordings, programs, scrapbooks, photographs and other archival materials comprise some of the primary source materials available in the library. Various publications and recordings based on the collections are produced by the library and distributed internationally. The library also sponsors symposia, exhibitions and other special events throughout the year.

The International Piano Archives at Maryland (IPAM) is a unique resource for the study, appreciation and preservation of the classical piano repertoire and its performance. IPAM's collections comprise one of the world's most extensive concentrations of piano recordings, books, scores, programs and related materials, including the archival papers of many great keyboard artists.

IPAM was founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1965 by Albert Petrak and Gregor Benko, who soon moved the organization to New York City where they added William Santaella to the staff. In New York, the archives quickly grew into an audio treasure and earned acclaim for its reissues of historic piano performances. In 1977, IPAM was given to the University of Maryland, College Park, where it serves students and faculty, as well as an international community of musicians, researchers and friends of piano performance.

From 1980 to 1994, under the leadership of Neil Ratliff, IPAM's collections increased and diversified, and the reissues of historic piano performances continued. Ratliff also initiated the publication of books and a newsletter, as well as a program of public events and exhibitions. IPAM's first curator, Morgan Cundiff, was succeeded in 1993 by Donald Manildi.

The School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) also resides within The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Its close proximity to the School of Music fosters collaboration between the two schools and makes cross-disciplinary projects more feasible. Theatre and dance performances frequently include contributions from the School of Music and Maryland Opera Studio performances in collaboration with TDPS.

Theatre productions are staged in three venues: the proscenium Kay Theatre, the versatile Kogod Theatre and the experimental Cafritz Foundation Theatre. Dance productions are staged primarily in the specialized Dance Theatre.