Dear Friends,
I am pleased to report that tremendous progress has been made on Colburn’s campus expansion since our last issue. The iconic Pink Kandi walls and gleaming glass enclosures have given the project shape, and I wish Frank could be here to see it.
We were all saddened by the passing of Frank Gehry late last year, and I am honored to dedicate the spring edition of this newsletter to his life and legacy. It has been a profound privilege to work closely with Frank and to witness his brilliant, bold vision for Colburn and Los Angeles. The building is an architectural marvel with immense potential for increasing access to the performing arts for artists and audiences of all ages. Frank, a true advocate for the arts and young people, designed spaces to broaden the learning and performance opportunities for students and the wider community: a 1,000-seat concert hall in the round rated for the finest recordings; a dance center with a studio theater and four state-of-the-art studios outfitted with cutting-edge technology; and urban gardens for gathering, contemplation, and celebration. We look forward to bringing these spaces to life with music and dance next year.
Earlier this spring, we concluded the final concrete pours for concert hall seating tiers and balconies, and glazing installation began on the dance center and lobbies. With steel hangers in place and scaffolding secured, installation also is well underway for the 20-cloud acoustical ceiling sculpture of Terri and Jerry Kohl Hall, sure to be regarded as one of Frank’s masterpieces. Before installation of this and so many other elements of our project, the project team created performance replicas at a nearby warehouse to gauge safety, functionality, and resiliency. Each joint, surface, and structural element—built at scale—was put through rigorous testing and had to reach the approval of not only McCarthy Building Companies’ own standards, but Gehry Partners’ and ownership’s standards as well.
As we plan for our grand opening in fall 2027, we are pleased to see the high quality of work being achieved on this project, and we are committed to completing the Building Our Future campaign to see Frank’s vision executed with excellence. There are still many meaningful ways to be part of this project’s legacy, and we hope you will join us.
All the best,
Sel Kardan
President and Chief Executive Officer