• GAZLO
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Concert series gets permanent home

Photo

Courtesy of George Williams College of Aurora University

Music by the Lake will get a new, open-air pavilion on the campus of George Williams College in Wiliams Bay to call home. The pavilion will seat 650 to 700 people. It is scheduled to open in June.

Photo

Courtesy of George Williams College of Aurora University

Artist rendering of the proposed pavillion at George Williams College in Williams Bay.

WILLIAMS BAY — The popular summer concert series Music by the Lake will have a new, open-air pavilion to call home on the George Williams College campus.

The revival of Music by the Lake in 2001 brought on the need for a venue with more seating and better acoustical and technical capabilities, said Ted Parge, vice president of advancement at George Williams College.

“With the growth in the program … it gave us the opportunity to expand,” he said.

The aging Allyn Pavilion, where performances were held previously, will be replaced by a tensile structure, which means it relies on the tensioning of the roof for its strength and stability.

Parge said the open-air pavilion was designed to highlight the beauty of its surroundings and, in particular, Geneva Lake.

“We really wanted to utilize the wonderful location with the music,” he said.

The Allyn Pavilion wasn’t designed as a venue for some of the artists Music by the Lake has showcased over the years, Parge said.

Miles of cable and cumbersome lighting often compromised stage space and seating, he said.

The new pavilion will seat 650 to 700 people and features additional terrace seating around the outside perimeter. A permanent stage and suspended lighting and sound equipment will improve the performance experience for both artist and audience. A plaza area will serve as a gathering space in intermissions.

“It’s a small, intimate venue that celebrates the small, intimate environment where you can hear wonderful artists up close,” Parge said.

The new venue will be called the Ferro Pavilion in honor of Michael and Jacky Ferro, summer lake residents from Chicago who contributed $500,000 toward the construction of the $1.4 million structure. Almost $1.1 million has been raised in private contributions since November.

Fund-raising continues through summer, Parge said.

The permanent space has allowed the university to expand Music by the Lake, which this year offers seven concerts.

The Ferro Pavilion is set to open Saturday, June 28, the start of the 2008 season.

2008 Music by the Lake

Main Stage Series

-- Maureen McGovern and the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 28

-- The Kingston Trio and The Brothers Four, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 12

-- “Die Fledermaus” by Johann Strauss, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 26

-- Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band with Patti Austin, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9

Sundays at 4

-- Prometheus Trio, 4 p.m. Sunday, July 20

-- “Die Fledermaus” by Johann Strauss, 4 p.m. Sunday, July 27

-- Chicago Brass Quintet, 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3

Spotlight Concert

-- Kenny Loggins, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16

For tickets

-- Call (262) 245-8501; toll-free (888) 843-5200.

-- Visit www.aurora.edu/mbtl.