Providence, RI -- Music from jazz to opera recently filled the Ryan Family Concert Hall in the Smith Center for the Arts in recognition of the generosity of Arthur (PC Class of 1963) and Patricia Ryan, Samuel (PC Class of 1934) and Esther Chester, and Catherine (PC Class of 1979G) and Claire Norton. The three families are major benefactors to the College and particularly the concert hall and other music facilities at the new arts center.

Sponsored by the Department of Music and the Office of Institutional Advancement, the concert was entitled "A Musical Afternoon at PC." The program featured performances by members of the student body, faculty, and alumni, including I Cantori, the College's premiere choral ensemble; members of the PC Jazz Band and Saxophone Quartet; the College's Gill Evans Ensemble; and individual vocalists. The music included selections from Beethoven, Bizet, Handel, Puccini, and Miles Davis.

In recognition of their generosity, the concert hall, the art center's exterior terrace / performance venue, and the concert hall's choir loft, respectively, were named in honor of the Ryans, the Chesters, and the Nortons.

Their generous gifts were pivotal in support of the $18 million Smith Center for the Arts, which was dedicated on October 29, 2004. The 60,000-square-foot teaching, practice, and performance facility houses the Department of Music and the Department of Theatre, Dance, and Film. In addition to the concert hall, it features two theatres, a dance studio, an art gallery, a music library, several classrooms, and numerous choral and instrumental practice rooms.

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