For students, it’s the place to attend concerts, plays and lectures. For many in the broader community, the events held at the Fine Arts Center (FAC) — the January Series, the Artist Series and the Festival of Faith & Writing — are their primary engagement with Calvin College.
Since it opened in 1966, the FAC has hosted an estimated 18,000 events, many of which welcome the public.
Hailed as a superlative performance venue and an acoustic marvel 40 years ago, now the FAC is feeling its age. Like all Calvin facilities, it has been carefully maintained, but having drawn such heavy attendance it now requires major attention to continue serving its many audiences.
One pressing need for the music department, which has been housed in the FAC since its opening, is space. Every year the department struggles to find places (and too often settles for faculty offices and hallways) for the 500-some students who play in Calvin’s band, orchestra and string quartets, and sing in choral ensembles.
The FAC will be remodeled to create additional practice, rehearsal, teaching and performance space and will receive upgrades to seating, lighting and acoustics as well as new wall and floor finishes. With these improvements, the Covenant Fine Arts Center will continue to welcome Calvin and the broader community for years to come.
