A Missouri couple has donated $10 million to the University of Missouri to help pay for a proposed new School of Music building. The gift from Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield is the largest ever to support the fine arts at the university.
The project will cost an estimated $74 million. The university hopes to receive state funds matching the Sinquefields’ gift and other private gifts to help support the project. Construction is projected to begin in 2016.
The proposed site for the new building is the northeast corner of Hitt Street and University Avenue on the MU campus. The plans for the School of Music building are part of a larger project that will include the renovation of the Fine Arts Building.
The MU School of Music now uses classroom, studio, rehearsal and office space in five different buildings. The new facility will enable the university to house all School of Music activities under one roof.
“We want Mizzou to become an international mecca for music composition,” Jeanne Sinquefield says. “Currently the School of Music is spread out in five different buildings across the entire campus. By giving the school its own facility, we can not only take a large step in positioning MU as a leader in music composition, but also help to create opportunities for the school to become a leader in music performance and education as well.”
