The big events in Winchester Community Music School always take place in Nichols Performance Hall. With the school and its performances’ growing in popularity, the hall and many of its amenities are due for an upgrade.
The performance hall is one of the main areas that the school seeks to enhance by fall as part of its SoundBreaking campaign, which aims to provide students with better music technology and renovate the building.
The performance hall is especially important to the school, as it hosts more than 150 concerts with around 5,500 to 6,000 audience members in attendance throughout the year.
Dianne Carboni, a 40-year-old adult learner at the school, recalled the Broadway on Highland performance drawing a big crowd. Even with every chair being filled, some people had to watch from the hallway.
“It was nice because everyone was there to appreciate it,” Carboni said. “But, at the same time, it was funny because [the crowds] are getting bigger. More people want to come.”
Renovations to the hall will include more seats; the new hall will have 135 seats, compared to the 80 seats in the original. It will also have improved acoustics, recording and livestreaming capabilities, and a design centering on ensemble performances.
Other expansions to the building will include dedicated studios for ensemble, percussion and private lessons. The building will have ADA-compliant upgrades.
The vision for the expansion started in 2012 when student families and donors described the need for a larger performance space.
The expansion will cost $5.7 million, and the school has reached 62% of its funding goal.
Laurie Russell, the school’s executive director, said the funding comes from individual donations and grants.
Even with the renovations, students will continue to learn in its facilities. The company doing the renovations, Burke Property Services, and school officials are coordinating on which areas are placed under construction and which will remain open.
The nonprofit Winchester Community Music School has grown steadily since its inception in the 1980s as a program created by Corie Nichols and Sandy Thompson and run out of McCall Middle School.
At first, the program had 30 students and three teachers. Now, the school, housed at 407 Highland Ave., has over 1,100 students and 60 teachers.
The school provides lessons and ensembles to students and adult learners. Some of the adults have joined after seeing the success and enjoyment their children had from taking lessons there.
Garrett Nagle, 58, started taking lessons after seeing how one of the instructors, James Doran, interacted with his youngest son, Cameron, during lessons and performances. While Nagle had dabbled in the guitar before, he said the school let him fully embrace his musical passion.
“Jim just kind of brought me to another level,” Nagle said.
Students, particularly adult learners, are drawn to the school’s community and the ability to perform in various ensembles and bands.
Andrew McCullough, a 74-year-old retired physician, is part of a few bands at the school. Though McCullough’s background in music goes back to his childhood, he’s only started playing violin and clarinet in the past few years. Now he’s formed a clarinet quartet.
“It’s fun when you make music together,” McCullough said.
McCullough said he is happy he gets to show younger students that music doesn’t have to end when their parents stop paying for lessons.
“It’s a huge benefit to the community to be able to have a space where people can get together, adults and kids,” he said. “Kids can see adults playing music and say, gee whiz, there’s something to playing the violin.”
The expansion plan has given students and their families something to look forward to.
Russell recalled being in the lobby, watching a father and daughter planning out their new routes to class and where their performances would take place. The two were “grinning ear to ear,” Russell said.
“It was just so fabulous to see that the families are super excited about what this means for them,” she said.
