CAS CONNECT 2019

The McKnight Center will supplement the existing Seretean Center for the Performing Arts as a more exclusive and modern facility and will spearhead the revival of the arts at OSU. In particular, the Greenwood School of Music will benefit from a massive increase in resources for students. “At present, the Greenwood School of Music has really outstanding faculty and we have really outstanding students, but we’ve felt a degree of constraint based on the size of facilities,” Loeffert said. “With the opening of The McKnight Center and the impending opening of the newGreenwood building, that really changes everything for us.” The details for the second season of the McKnight Center are still under wraps, but many students and faculty expect it to be just as high quality as the first season. “We already have such a great season right now, I think it’s only going to get better from here,” Lewis said. Despite all the excitement about the construction’s completion, Nash stressed that the building itself wasn’t The McKnight Center’s most important addition to OSU. “It’s not just a building where we bring in a bunch of shows,” Nash said. “It’s a group of people who came together with a passion for the performing arts and want to improve it and make everything better and help make the community and the campus even better.” Bill Barrett’s DNA IV sculpture, 12 feet high and 18 feet wide, greets patrons at The McKnight Center. Standing in front of it are Barrett and his wife, Debora. The list of top-tier talent doesn’t end there. Philadelphia-based classical pianist Jonathan Biss and celebrated opera singer (and OSU graduate) Sarah Coburn will both headline events at The McKnight Center in late 2019 and early 2020. “(The McKnight Center) is a huge project by Oklahoma State, and a wonderful investment for the arts not just at the university, but also for Oklahoma,” said Jeffrey Loeffert, director of the Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music. “The New York Philharmonic is one of the top orchestras in the entire world, and that they’ll be coming to Stillwater is something really special.” The McKnight Center programming will expand the reach of the performing arts within the state. “I think it will definitely bring Stillwater forward as a place for big names to come and attract people from smaller towns in Oklahoma,” said Ali Lewis, a student intern at The McKnight Center. OSU President Burns Hargis also emphasized the important role that the center will play in bringing the arts into more locations in Oklahoma. “The McKnight Center will be a beacon of art and culture for this region and will provide a space for families and community members to engage with and experience some truly exceptional performances,” Hargis said. Lewis and fellowMcKnight Center intern Carly Nash believe the new facility will help Oklahoma communities by promoting music and musical education. Those are things they say can be hard to access, particularly in rural areas. “I come from a small town in southwest Oklahoma that doesn’t really have music classes,” Nash said. “Everything I learned going through high school was through a college professor.” The completion of The McKnight Center also brings new opportunities for students and faculty to perform at a state-of-the-art venue. And with that comes great community interest about hosting recitals and public events. “I would say we’re booked almost every single day until June of next year,” Nash said. “It’s insane.” Although the center will mostly be used for musical performances, there are also some events that theater-goers will enjoy. On Halloween, the center will host a showing of the silent version of The Phantom of the Opera starring Lon Chaney with live organ accompaniment, and in December, it will host a live version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical . OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SC I ENCES 29