Dramatically improved facilities for the study and performance of music has been a dream of faculty, students, staff, and alumni of the College of Music for a long time. That dream is finally becoming a reality.
Ken Bloomquist served on the faculty of the college from 1970 to 1992 and as director of the Music school from 1978 to 1989. He and his wife, Ann, have joined forces with current College of Music Dean James Forger and Deborah Moriarty, professor of piano and chair of the Piano Area, to name the student practice floor of a new addition to music facilities.
“MSU is a model of success in the performing arts nationally and internationally,” Bloomquist says. “We have quality students, professional and respected music faculty, and a university that is known worldwide. On top of that, we are able to attract and invite the world’s greatest artists to our campus. Our faculty, our students, and our patrons deserve high-quality spaces in which to practice, perform, and experience such high-quality music.”
The Bloomquists have challenged MSU Music alumni and the Spartan Marching Band alumni to join them in supporting the Music Pavilion.
Deborah Moriarty, chair of the Piano Area
“Ken and Ann Bloomquist had a tremendous impact on the music programs at MSU for many years,” Forger says. “They have been tireless champions of music at our university, and Deborah and I are thrilled to add our personal contribution for the same purpose as theirs, to name the student practice floor in our new, state-of-the-art facility—space where students spend countless hours honing their skills and artistry.”
Glen Brough, an assistant director in the Office of Admissions and visual coordinator for the Spartan Marching Band, together with his spouse April Clobes, the president and CEO of the MSU Federal Credit Union, recently made a naming gift for the student lounge in the new pavilion.
Enthusiasm for the project is running high with more than $11 million in private support raised in just 14 months. In addition to the Bloomquists, Forger and Moriarty, MSU retirees including Selma Hollander and Chuck and Philippa Webb have gotten behind the project as well.
More than half of College of Music faculty and staff have contributed to the Music Pavilion. Their collective contributions of more than $100,000 will name the Student Study Mezzanine on the second floor of the pavilion, which will overlook the two-story lobby in the new construction.
