Concordia University Irvine Commissions World-Class Architectural Acoustic Firm For Its Music, Worship, & Theology Building
IRVINE, CA (October 4, 2017)— Concordia University Irvine (CUI) today announced that it has
secured global architectural acoustic consulting firm WSDG (Walters-Storyk Design Group) of New York
to design the professional recording studio in its new Music, Worship & Theology (MWT) building. The
MWT building—the first building in CUI’s Master Plan—will serve as the intersection of musical tradition
and theological foundation, values core to the Lutheran faith.
“Music education has been a relevant pursuit for hundreds of years, and it’s only gaining steam
as we better understand its value for culture,” said Assistant Dean, College of Arts and Sciences at
Concordia University Irvine Jeff Held, D.M.A. “These new, modernized facilities will be some of the best
in Southern California, helping Concordia to remain a leader in music education.”
The 1,110 square foot recording studio will be used as a recording, teaching, and rehearsal
space. Given Concordia’s proximity to the Los Angeles music industry, the space will provide a venue for
students, professors, and artists to collaborate in facilities that meet the music industry’s standards.
Both choral and instrumental ensembles will use the professional recording studio, as will the Music
Department’s newest major program—Commercial Music. The Commercial Music major prepares
students for careers in musical performance, songwriting, composing for media (TV, film, and gaming)
and music production. Concordia’s music program offers a Bachelor of Arts degree for music majors
with concentrations in commercial music, composition, church music, instrumental performance, music
education, piano performance, and vocal performance.
WSDG has created educational recording complexes for major schools such as NYU and Berklee
College of Music. In addition, they have been integral in the creation of acoustic designs for NYC’s Jazz at
Lincoln Center, Switzerland’s Luzern KKL Concert Hall as well as recording studios for Jimi Hendrix, Alicia
Keys, Jay-Z, and Bruce Springsteen. WSDG is also designing the rehearsal hall acoustics in the new MWT
building.
Responsible for the overall design of the approximate 37,500 square foot, three-level Music,
Worship & Theology building is Bauer Architects of Newport Beach. Bauer Architects, which designed
the MWT building as two wings—the music wing, and Christ College wing, Concordia’s School of
Theology, connected by a breezeway—is noted for its user and environmentally responsible designs of
performance venues, museums and cultural centers, universities, and corporate and civic facilities.
Southern California-based master builder Snyder Langston will complete construction of the
Music, Worship & Theology building at Concordia University Irvine. Credits for the general contractor
include the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, and
broadcast studios for NBC, CBS and FOX. “Snyder Langston is honored to be part of this exciting project
that will improve the resources provided to Concordia students, as well as music artists throughout
Orange County,” said Snyder Langston President John Rochford.
During the pre-construction process, WSDG staff has been collaborating with Concordia
University Irvine’s construction team and music department faculty. WSDG design engineers are using
acoustic modeling measurement and instrumentation tests and programs to predict and pre-tune
individual room acoustics and auralization throughout the building.
“Concordia University Irvine’s new audio education and production complex will be a showplace
facility fully designed to facilitate real-world training,” said WSDG Founding Partner John Storyk. “We
are extremely pleased to have been selected to help create this recording complex. And, we are
confident that it will play an important role in preparing the next generation of educators, musicians,
recording artists, and production professionals for 21st Century careers.”
Scheduled for completion in December 2018, the Music, Worship & Theology building main
floor will house a 2,250 square foot orchestra hall, a 1,900 square foot choral rehearsal hall, a
percussion room, and a piano instruction room. The lower floor will feature a 1,110 square foot live
recording room with three isolation (ISO) booths, a control room, classrooms, an open office suite,
faculty offices, an event space, and conference and breakout rooms. The studio will be tied into the
orchestral and choral rehearsal rooms, allowing multiple ensembles to record simultaneously. The top
floor will accommodate practice rooms, and faculty studios for special practice and instructional
tutorials. The MWT, estimated to cost $30 million, will be funded by private donations.
View renderings of the interior and exterior of the MWT building
About Concordia University Irvine
Concordia University Irvine (CUI) is a non-profit Lutheran Christian liberal arts four-year university that prepares students for their vocations—their calling in life. Concordia offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in education, nursing, theology, business, and athletics administration. CUI’s undergraduate program is distinctive because of its nationally recognized core curriculum, Enduring Questions & Ideas, and its Lutheran heritage that provides a thoughtful and caring Christian community that lives out the theology of "Grace Alone. Faith Alone." Concordia is a U.S. News Top Tier Regional University and has been named by The Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the fastest growing private nonprofit master's institutions. The university is part of the Concordia University System, the second largest education ministry system in the United States just behind the Catholic Church. The NCAA DII private university enrolls over 4,000 students annually.
About Bauer Architects
Bauer Architects is an architecture and interior design firm based in Newport Beach. The award-winning
firm has been recognized for its design of original buildings, interiors and sites for higher education,
museums, research and civic projects. Clients have included Pomona College, the Music Center of Los
Angeles and the Ocean Institute.
About Snyder Langston
Snyder Langston is a master builder that provides a client-centric approach to the building process. Since
1959, the firm has been honored to partner with the finest architects, developers, and users to build a
diverse selection of projects across Southern California. Its teams take great pride in these buildings, but
find even greater accomplishment in the relationships built along the way. Learn more at
www.snyderlangston.com.
About WSDG
WSDG, a leading architectural acoustic consulting/media systems engineering firm, has collaborated on
over 3,500 audio /video facilities worldwide. Credits include Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios (1969);
NYC’s Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Le Poisson Rouge; broadcast facilities for The Food Network, ESPN, and
WNET; major education complexes for NYU, The Art Institutes and Berklee College of Music, Valencia
and Boston (2015 TEC winner). Corporate clients include Hoffman La Roche, Cemex, and Sony while
studio projects include NYC’s Jungle City Studios for award-winning engineers, Ann Mincieli, Green Day
(CA), Jay-Z (NY), Aerosmith (Boston), Bruce Springsteen (NJ), Alicia Keys (NY), Paul Epworth’s The Church
Studios (London), and film composers Carter Burwell (NY), A.R. Rahman (India). WSDG principals John
Storyk, Beth Walters, Sergio Molho, Silvia Molho, Renato Cipriano, and Dirk Noy lecture frequently at
universities and industry events. WSDG has collaborated with such noted architects as Frank Gehry,
Norman Foster and Phillipe Stark. An 11-time winner of the National Association of Music Merchants
(NAMM) TEC Award for outstanding achievement in acoustics facility design, WSDG is based in New York
with offices in South America, Europe, Asia and locally in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Contact:
Concordia University Irvine
Caroline Wong, Communications Consultant
[email protected]
(714) 697-8649
Snyder Langston
Jo-E Immel, Vice President
(949) 795-2454
[email protected]
WSDG
Howard Sherman, Howard Sherman Public Relations
(646) 528-8724
[email protected]