If you build it

What does the Santa Rosa Symphony and the yet-to-be-completed 105,000-square-foot Green Music Center being built in Rohnert Park next to Sonoma State University have to do with Petaluma? Plenty, according to Anne Benedetti, immediate past president of the symphony, and Carol Libarle, symphony board member.

The $100 million Donald and Maureen Green Music Center, the design of which is based on the famous Tanglewood concert hall in Massachusetts, is set to be the new home of the Santa Rosa Symphony when it opens in the 2008-2009 season. Once completed, the Green Music Center will feature a 1,400-seat concert hall, a 250-seat recital hall, a music education building and a hospitality center with a restaurant. During the summer, the concert hall will be able to open up its rear wall to allow outdoor seating for up to 10,000 guests.

“The center will make Sonoma County a destination for the arts, not just for wine and food,” said Benedetti. “I think those three things make very strong components for getting people to want to come here.”

Just minutes away, the center will provide Petalumans with access to world class performers and music education as well as benefit local businesses through tourism. The Green Music Center is expected to attract more than 110,000 people per year to its educational and performance-related activities.

“Petaluma has really come alive in the last few years,” said Libarle. “I think this will make people want to come to Petaluma even more.”

While the center will provide a showcase for local talent, the concert hall will also be host to world renowned performers such as Yo-Yo Ma and Placido Domingo as well as authors and guest lecturers. It will provide a space for meetings, community performances and recitals.

“And it won’t be just a place to hear classical music,” said Susan Kashack, director of communications for SSU. “The music program will include every genre of music, including rock. We’re excited about the Santa Rosa Symphony being our resident symphony.”

Music education is also part of the center’s vision. The music education building will be home to the Sonoma State University Music Department and Center for Performing Arts. Students and community members will be able to participate in a variety of classes, educational seminars and lectures taught by professors as well as guest master musicians.

“Youth in Petaluma will be able to have music instruction at a world class music center,” said Benedetti. “Just a few miles up the road, they’ll have the opportunity to be taught by a music master.”

“This is a fantastic way to have our Petaluma youth exposed to the arts,” Libarle added. “We will have this incredible resource right in our own back yard. It’s an amazing vision. I think this will have a phenomenal impact on Petaluma and Sonoma County.”

The Green Music Center has been 10 years in the planning “The fund-raising campaign has been going well,” said Kashack. “We expect to have it completed by Fall 2008 or 2009, depending on fund-raising.”

“We’re holding a campaign now to help revitalize interest in the center,” said Benedetti. “We want to raise awareness about the center and let people know about the benefits of having a world class concert hall here.”

“This is important for Petaluma,” added Libarle. “This center will be for everyone. It’s a community building. This will be one more thing to make Petaluma a great place to visit and live.”

For more information on the Green Music Center, visit www.greenmusiccenter.sonoma.edu.

(Contact Yovanna Bieberich at yovanna.bieberich@argus courier.com)