Capital Campaign: Opening Doors

In 2002, Merit's Board of Trustees launched OPENING DOORS: A Campaign of Merit. This $19,000,000 capital and endowment campaign was specifically designed to secure a permanent home for the school. Merit moved to the new facility, the Joy Faith Knapp Music Center, located at 38 South Peoria Street in the West Loop, in June 2005. This beautiful new space provides Merit with dramatically improved facilities and room to grow. We have reached our $19,000,000 goal, yet there are still capital improvements that need to be made to continue to enhance our school. If you are interested in learning more about these improvements, please contact Allison Volkman, Director of Development, at 312-267-4462.

Formerly a television production studio, the 40,000 square foot space is an ideal solution that meets Merit’s specific needs as we expand the services and opportunities we are able to offer our students. Some of the exciting features of our new home are:

A formal performance hall (rendering of hall from Hedlund Architects) with 372 seats, a raised stage, appropriate technical equipment and excellent acoustics.

A second, more intimate recital hall that will double as a large rehearsal room.

A recording studio that will enable students to make audition tapes for competitions, summer camps and college.

Instrument storage to hold all of the school’s donated and purchased instruments.

Twice as many classrooms as our previous rented space.

We are grateful to Honorary Campaign Chair, Howard Gottlieb, and Campaign Co-Chairs, Dick Kiphart, Ginny Foreman and Louise Glasser, for leading the fundraising efforts. Also, a special thank you to Merit Trustees Jerry James and Jules Knapp who made this new home possible.

2007–2008 Fall Catalog

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