An Historic Place for Celebration — St. Cecilia Music Center
The Royce Auditorium, known for drawing world-renowned artists to its perfect acoustic sound and historic building, has been revitalized thanks to a recently finished $2.4 million dollar renovation.
Content created by our sponsor, St. Cecilia Music Center.
If you haven’t been to St. Cecilia Music Center lately, you’ll be in for a surprise. This cherished place which is listed on the National Registrar of Historic Places, recently finished a $2.4 million-dollar renovation of their historic building at 24 Ransom NE in Downtown Grand Rapids. The building that was originally built 124 years ago is in pristine condition with new features that include upgraded energy efficient lighting, new furniture and fixtures, renovated flooring, bathroom upgrades, a refreshed interior with new quality finishes, and many more upgrades to its infrastructure.
Royce Auditorium, inside St. Cecilia Music Center, known worldwide for its perfect acoustic sound, has also been revitalized with new seating, new décor, and new sound and lighting systems. Known for drawing world-renowned artists from all musical genres, St. Cecilia Music Center just announced their new schedule of concerts to be held in the Royce Auditorium in 2018/2019 including world-renowned Jazz Series musicians: Trumpet Great Arturo Sandoval, the Kenny Barron Quintet, Jazz Multi-talent Joey DeFranceso, and the Benny Green Trio with Veronica Swift; the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Series, and popular Folk Series with musicians the likes of Pokey LaFarge, The Lone Bellow, and Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn.
This coming season, St. Cecilia Music Center will celebrate 135 years as the oldest arts institution in West Michigan. What was started in 1883 by nine committed women to promote the appreciation, study and performance of music, was fully realized upon completion of the building at 24 Ransom NE 124 years ago! Conveniently located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, St. Cecilia Music Center has been a community treasure since its dedication in 1894. The building even avoided being totally destroyed during a time in Grand Rapids in the 1960’s Urban Renewal period when a proposed thoroughfare to extend Jefferson Street to the north slated the historic building for demolition. Due to a dedicated group of business leaders and St. Cecilia Music Society members who successfully intervened, the loss of the city’s oldest arts institution was averted.
Beyond hosting its own celebrated concert season, St. Cecilia Music Center houses their School of Music, teaching music to students from ages 5 to 95 through involvement in their many ensembles, orchestras, bands, and summer camps.
The building is also a lovely setting for a variety of private rentals. Each of its many spaces has provided a beautiful background for countless joyous occasions.
- The elegant Dexter Ballroom on the second level has towering windows. This beautifully lit environment with views of the outdoor cityscape features a newly redesigned space with an adjoining kitchen. It is the perfect setting for parties, receptions and weddings.
- The Wege Recital Hall is a wonderful recital space for budding musicians to perform their musical skills in front of an intimate audience.
- The Mika Library on the lower level serves as a great space for business meetings and community forums.
- And the exquisite Royce Auditorium, one of the best music halls in the world, is utilized for larger private gatherings and musical and artistic performances.
Enjoy this historic location and cherished building for an upcoming celebration or private event / gathering. For more information about SCMC’s building rental, 2018/2019 concerts, School of Music and more, see the website.
St. Cecilia Music Center’s mission is to promote the study, appreciation and
performance of music in order to enrich the lives of West Michigan residents. The Center fulfills this mission by presenting visiting world-class artists in concert, providing music education for all ages through our School of Music and preserving a historic building for musical activities and community events.
St. Cecilia Music Center Building Rentals:
St. Cecilia Music Center uses an exclusive list of professional caterers for all events.
All rental fees include banquet tables and chairs and the setup and tear down of the room. Limited parking is available in the St. Cecilia Music Center parking lot located on the south side of the building. There are many additional lots within walking distance as well as metered street parking which is free after 6pm and all-day Friday and Saturday.
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