Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Center
Encyclopedia
The Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Center (HFAC) is the main location for the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications
BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications
BYU College of Fine Arts and CommunicationsThe College of Fine Arts and Communications is one of nine colleges at Brigham Young University, a private university operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and located in Provo, Utah...

. (Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...

), housing most of the colleges departments and divisions. It consists of several named areas, as well as an added collection of study rooms, small painting studios, theatre work rooms and some class rooms and faculty offices.

The HFAC is located immediately to the south of the Brigham Young University Museum of Art, and just a little north of the Wilkinson Student Center.

The HFAC was designed by architect William Pereira
William Pereira
William Leonard Pereira was an American architect from Chicago, Illinois, of Portuguese ancestry who was noted for his futuristic designs of landmark buildings such as the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco...

. Use of it was inaugurated in 1964.

General Overview

The HFAC houses the School of Music, the Department of Theatre, The Department of Theatre and Media Arts, the Department of Visual Arts, BYU Broadcasting and the Division of Design and Production.

The HFAC has well over 100 rooms of various types, including 53 practice rooms and four art galleries.

The building has seven pipe organs that are considered to be amongst the most notable in Utah, the oldest of which dates back to 1970, although it has since been largely rebuilt.

de Jong Concert Hall

The De Jong Concert Hall is the largest room in the HFAC. It is named for Gerrit de Jong, Jr. who was the first dean of the College of Fine Arts at BYU. The hall has a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...

 of 1451. It is used for most concerts, both by choral groups
BYU Choirs
The choirs at Brigham Young University consist of four auditioned choirs: the Concert Choir, the Men's Chorus, the Women's Chorus, and the Brigham Young University Singers. Each choir is highly accomplished and performs from an extensive repertoire. Together, the choirs have recorded and released a...

 and symphonic groups as well as many musicals, operas and dance performances. It is also used during the spring and summer terms for the weekly university devotionals. While most concerts at the de Jong are by BYU groups, outside groups such as the Utah Symphony also perform there.

Events at the de Jong not only generate articles in the BYU paper but also are mentioned in Salt Lake City publications such as the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune. As well as in independent Latter-day Saint oriented magazines such as Meridian Magazine.

The hall is so central to the school of musics operations that studies aimed at getting ideal sound quality in the hall have been published by the Audio Engineering Society.

The de Jong hall was designed by Harvey Fletcher
Harvey Fletcher
Harvey Fletcher was an American physicist. Known as the "father of stereophonic sound" he is credited with the invention of the audiometer and hearing aid...

.

B. Cecil Gates Opera Workshop

Located right next to the de Jong Concert hall this room is used for rehearsals of student produced operas. It is named for B. Cecil Gates
B. Cecil Gates
Brigham Cecil Gates was born in Laie, Oahu, Hawaii on August 16, 1887, the second of twelve children of Jacob F. and Susa Young Gates. Following early training in music from teachers at Brigham Young Academy, John H. McClellan and others in Salt Lake City, and the New England Conservatory of...

.

Bent F. Larsen Art Gallery

This is a three level gallery, most of the space being on the main floor with the two higher floors opening onto the main floor. Besides being used for various art displays, it serves as the lobby for most of the main theatres, such as the Pardoe, the Madsen Recital Hall and the de Jong Concert Hall.

The Larsen Art Gallery is also periodically used as a site for dances.

The Larsen Art Gallery has been used for presentations by the BYU Conservation Laboratory of Fine Art.

The Larsen Gallery is rated as one of the best art galleries in Provo.

Franklin and Florence Jepperson Madsen Recital Hall

The Madsen recital hall accommodates choral group practices during the week. It is also used for solo and chamber productions by students, faculty and even at times visiting groups.

The Madsen Recital Hall was the main location of the 2005 Primrose International Viola Competition
Primrose International Viola Competition
The Primrose International Viola Competition , also referred to as the Primrose Memorial Scholarship Competition , is an international music competition for viola players sponsored by the American Viola Society and named for the 20th century virtuoso William Primrose.The 13th Primrose International...

, sponsored by the American Viola Society
American Viola Society
The American Viola Society is an organization headquartered in Dallas, Texas that promotes interest in the viola by its performers, teachers, luthiers, and enthusiasts....

.

Elbert H. Eastmond Art Seminar Room

This room of slightly more than 700 square feet (65 m²) is designed for short showings of a broad variety of art objects.

Philip N. Margetts Arena Theatre

This theatre is designed so that seating and acting can occur in any part of the room.

Miriam Nelke Experimental Theatre

Besides being used for theatre productions, this theatre is also at times used for the College of Fine Arts and Communications Thursday forums.

T. Earl and Kathryn Pardoe Drama Theatre

This theatre seats 509 people and is designed in a tradition presinium stage setup.

External links

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