Construction Starts On La Jolla Music Society's 'The Conrad'

LA JOLLA, CA – City and local arts leaders broke ground Wednesday on the $76 million Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla.

The La Jolla Music Society's two-hall, 44,000-square-foot center will feature a 500-seat concert hall and 140-seat flexible performance space rehearsal rooms and a large open courtyard. The society's offices will also be housed in the building, which is named for the late San Diego philanthropist Conrad Prebys.

"The Conrad" is expected to open late 2018. The facility will be available to rent for weddings, conferences and other uses.

"The Conrad will be a home for creativity and imagination that will allow La Jolla Music Society to reach broader audiences through both expanded educational and artistic offerings," said Kristin Lancino, society president and artistic director.

"In addition to being a beautiful arts center for world-class performers, The Conrad will also be a community resource available to all San Diegans to book for performance, community and private events," she said.

The event also kicked off the public phase of fundraising to secure an additional $14 million and create an operational endowment. Information about donating can be found at TheConrad.org.

So far, $62 million has been raised through gifts from 11 founding donors who gave at least $1 million or more. The major donors were Prebys and Debbie Turner, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Brenda Baker and Steve Baum, Rita and Richard Atkinson, Raffaella and John Belanich, the Beyster family, Silvija and Brian Devine, Joy Frieman, Peggy and Peter Preuss, Gary and Jean Shekhter, and Clara Wu and Joesph Tsai.Numerous others also gave significant amounts, according to the society.

"We are fortunate to have the extraordinarily generous support of so many to help lay an enduring foundation for The Conrad," said Katherine Chapin, who chairs the society's board of directors.

"The true purpose of this project has always been to serve as a community asset for all to enjoy and take pride in," Chapin said. "We are very excited about this next phase and look forward to introducing the opportunity to those who wish to help make this vision a reality."

While construction is underway, the society will continue hosting performances at various venues, including The Sherwood Auditorium, The Scripps Research Institute, Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall, Balboa Theatre, Jacobs Music Center and others.

SummerFest 2017 performances are scheduled at Qualcomm Hall and the Prebys Concert Hall at UC San Diego.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Image courtesy of Epstein Joslin Architects.