Media Release

Friday, 20 September 2002

An $8 million upgrade of the Elder School of Music will begin in November.

The work, which is being funded by the University of Adelaide and the Commonwealth and State Governments, follows the formal merger of the Elder Conservatorium and the Flinders Street School of Music on 1 January 2002. The refurbishment will enhance professional music training for the School's 400 students and will be completed in February 2004.

Major elements of the upgrade include:

• Development of soundproofed music studios in the Schulz Building
• Creation of rehearsal and practice studios for jazz and percussion in the Madley Building
• Improvements to the Elder Music Library on Kintore Avenue
• Development of a colonnade (walkway) as part of a "music hub" centred on Pfitzner Court linking the Hartley, Madley and Schulz buildings with the Scott Theatre
• Refurbishment of teaching and office spaces in Elder Hall.

Elder School Director, and Elder Professor of Music, Professor Charles Bodman Rae said the work would improve teaching spaces, practice rooms, office accommodation, and general amenities.

"It will directly enhance the experience of our music students," he said. "The provision of properly soundproofed facilities, particularly for the louder types of music such as jazz and percussion, will be a major step forward.

"These are exciting times for the School. Our lunchtime concerts in Elder Hall have been selling out regularly this season, and audiences for our evening performances have also been excellent. The concerts are an important way in which the University engages with the community, and we value the strong support we receive from the public."

The University of Adelaide was the first university in Australia to establish a Chair of Music (1884) and the first to establish a Conservatorium of Music (1897). Today the Elder School provides a comprehensive range of specialist music programs, from pre-degree Certificates, through several Bachelor's degrees (including Honours), Master's degrees, to Doctorates (including the higher Doctorate of Music).