Taché Hall: First look
Movers carry one of the Desautels Faculty of Music’s many pianos into Taché Hall // Photo by Chris Rutkowski
The moving trucks arrived at the Desautels Faculty of Music this past week. Library books, pianos and furniture were all packed up and moved to the Faculty’s new home in Taché Hall. There is still work to be done; work has just started on Phase 2 of the project (music addition), and construction for Phase 3 (Desautels Concert Hall) is still a couple of years away.
Edmund Dawe, dean of the Desautels Faculty of Music provided a brief tour of Taché Hall and answered some questions about how the Faculty is currently feeling about the new space.
UM Today: What is the mood like in the faculty now that you are moving into Taché?
Edmund Dawe: There is tremendous excitement and energy as we move into phase one of our new facilities. This ongoing project has been many years in the making and we will now have enough office space for full-time faculty, support staff, sessional instructors and graduate students. In addition, there are two classrooms, a keyboard lab, student instrument storage lockers, music library, 40 practice rooms and dedicated office and studio space for the division of prepatory studies.
UM Today: How will this new space impact faculty members? How will it impact students?
Edmund Dawe: A vibrant and successful post-secondary music program requires talented students and outstanding full-time faculty, sessional instructors and support staff. At the Desautels Faculty, we have these in abundance but for many years have been lacking proper teaching, rehearsal and performance spaces. With the completion of the first phase, we are on our way to providing those spaces necessary for the work of our faculty and students. Until now, it was common to find students in the old building practicing in stairwells, the closets beside the main entrance, and occasionally in the washrooms! Many students did their practicing off campus; faculty offices and studios were often shared by full-time faculty, sessional instructors and the division of prepatory studies. This is no longer the case as we move into a beautifully renovated historic building.
Phase two is under construction and will provide larger classrooms and rehearsal spaces for our choirs, opera and musical theatre ensembles, wind ensemble and concert band, and our symphony and jazz orchestras. This phase will also include an electro-acoustic composition lab and a multimedia room. Phase three will be the state-of-the-art Desautels Concert Hall. Much has been accomplished and much remains to be done. This is a very exciting time for the Desautels Faculty of Music!
Storage lockers for instruments of all sizes
Office space for full-time faculty, support staff, sessional instructors and graduate students
Common area for students to gather outside the music library
The new music library is being stocked
Double-wide office allows faculty members to have pianos nearby
Lounges on each floor will provide a space to relax and gather. This one on the fourth floor has a huge skylight to bring in natural light.
Looking out at the construction site of Phase 2 of the Taché project
This is indeed exciting. When I graduated in 2007, the facilities were so very inadequate and unattractive. I think the new building will make a huge difference and give new life to the music faculty!
After spending 7 years at U of M, with one year in residence at Tache Hall, it was the most memorable year as I was a freshman experiencing university life.
Being am architect, urban designer and artist, I appreciate greatly the time I spending learning and playing at the U of M.
Thank you so much for the best 7 years of my life.
Sincerely,
Michael Wei B.E.S.79, M.Arch.82
What??? No french fries and chocolate milk?