Sweet Sounds Strathmore Hall Expands With State-of-the-Art Music Center by Julio Trujillo Strathmore Hall is no longer just a mansion in North Bethesda, Md., where you can enjoy afternoon tea or attend small musical performances and art exhibits. For the last three yearsóand in planning for at least three years before thatóStrathmore has been building an impressive new Music Center that is poised to transform the arts scene in Maryland and the greater Washington area. The Music Center at Strathmore is a state-of-the-art public-private partnership between Montgomery County, which owns the land and the new building, and the Strathmore Hall Foundation, which operates the Music Center and the historic Strathmore Mansion next door. The funding for the center came from Montgomery County, the state of Maryland and private donations. Once the funding was in place, the Strathmore Hall Foundation had to find the right groups to use the new space. At around the same time, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra was looking for a second home, and they didnít need to look much further than the stunning new high-tech facility. "You canít really get the big-name artis ts unless you have the high-quality acoustics of a state-of-the-art facility," said Strathmore Hall Foundation President Eliot Pfanstiehl. With the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in place, the rest of the groups fell into place during the planning process. The Music Center is divided into a 1,978-seat concert hall and educational and administration facilities for the Strathmore Hall Foundation and the Music Centerís partner organizations: The Levine School of Music, CityDance Ensemble, the National Philharmonic, Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. A unique aspect of the Music Center will be the collaborative ventures produced by the different arts groups that are a part of the center, which was a main goal for Pfanstiehl. "We really wanted these organizations to work together," he said. "I am really looking forward to the surprises that the collaboration Ö will bring." Paul Emerson, CityDanceís artistic and executive director, called the relationship with the Music Center "serendipity." The CityDance Ensemble teaches dance to all ages and levels with a special focus on dance accompanied to live music. The ensemble offers a variety of classes from ballet and hip-hop to modern dance and yoga, and CityDanceís partnership with Strathmore marks the first time that a dance company in the Washington area has had a home in a major cultural arts center. CityDance became involved with the Strathmore project through an e-mail that Emerson thought would go nowhere. "Almost a year ago, I sent Eliot [Pfanstiehl an e-mail], telling him we had a dance company interested in live music," he said. "By nine the next morning he invited me to his office and two months later we became a full partner at Strathmore." CityDanceís inaugural concert at Strathmore is set for Feb.17, and the company is also collaborating with the Levine School of Music for a performance of "Peter and the Wolf" on Feb. 26, with CityDance students performing to the music provided by the Levine students. According to Pfanstiehl, another important goal of the center was to provide music education for children. "We want to put the education first at the center," he said, noting that music and dance classes as well as the musical appreciation cultivated through the centerís various performances will help enlighten young minds about the world of music. "Education and performance goes together. These kids are the future audience for these seats." Already many of those seats are filling up. In addition to the grand opening celebrations on Feb. 5, the Music Center has a full schedule of performances for its opening season, with a range of acts to suit all musical tastes. Along with performances from partner organizations, the Music Center is bringing in some big musical names, such as Broadway singer Barbara Cook, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, dancer Savion Glover, and childrenís artists Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer. The Music Hall facility with its spacious concert hall is an incredible sight. Designed by architect William Rawn, the buildingís modern, airy and beautiful features are accented by a wood-and-brass four-level auditorium that is the perfect visual accompaniment for a place of sound. The acoustics at the concert hall are just as worthy as the surroundings. Above the stage are 43 individually controlled "acoustic clouds" that can be manipulated to reflect sound at almost any height and angle from the stage, depending on the type of musical performance. The engineering involved in bringing the Music Center to life is also staggering. Pfanstiehl listed a plethora of technical information about everything from the cushioned floors intended to prevent dancers from getting shin splints to the air-conditioning system of the concert hall, which cools the air from the bottom up through vents underneath the seats. "Itís really something special," said Pfanstiehl, summing up the Music Center as a whole. "Itís not just a community arts center. Weíve grown up." For more information on the Music Center at Strathmore, located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, N. Bethesda, Md., please call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org. Julio Trujillo is an editorial intern for The Washington Diplomat.