Bass Foundation Commits $10M To Finish Music Building

The Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation Concert Hall, scheduled to open next spring, features a vineyard-style configuration, which positions audience members around the stage to create a closer connection between performers and listeners.

The Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation has committed an additional $10 million to The University of Texas at Dallas to complete construction of the second phase of the Edith and Peter O'Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, a destination that advances the University's vision for a cultural district where the arts, technology and ideas come together.

In recognition of the gift, the 680-seat concert hall at the heart of the new performance and music building will be named the Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation Concert Hall. This gift builds upon the Bass Foundation's transformative $40 million gift to UT Dallas in 2023, which named the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology and provided significant support for Phase II of the O'Donnell Athenaeum.

"We envisioned so much that can come from this project, not just for UT Dallas, but for Richardson, for Dallas and for North Texas in general," said Michael Calhoun, a trustee of the Bass Foundation. "From a musical and performance perspective, this facility has the capability to reach youth, expose them to new ideas, and help them learn and thrive."

New Center for Music, Learning

The second phase of the O'Donnell Athenaeum is a nearly 67,000-square-foot music and performance facility set to open in spring 2027. Its centerpiece, the Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation Concert Hall, will feature a vineyard-style configuration, which positions audience members around the stage to create a closer connection between performers and listeners. The building also will include two large rehearsal rooms, individual rehearsal spaces, a percussion studio, classrooms, a recording studio, student study areas and other spaces for learning and informal performance.

Calhoun said the convergence of those fields is one reason expanding the arts at UT Dallas resonates with the Bass Foundation.

"I look at it as a left brain-right brain convergence," Calhoun said. "The ability to comprehend certain aspects of engineering and technology requires a creative approach, not dissimilar to music."

Calhoun saw that intersection firsthand during a hard-hat tour of the Phase II construction. With an engineering background himself, he said he was struck by the technical sophistication required to create the hall's acoustics.

"There's a tremendous amount of engineering, technology and science that goes into enhancing the sound quality in this building," Calhoun said. "I walked away very impressed that this will be a world-class facility located on UT Dallas' campus."

Roemer said those resources will provide students with more than a venue in which to enjoy performances. The building, he said, will create an environment in which students can learn alongside faculty, artists and scholars while gaining experience in a state-of-the-art performance space.

"We have wonderful student performers, great faculty and other musicians who will perform in this building, and we'll give them a world-class stage that makes them sound as good as they can be," Roemer said.

Extending the O'Donnell Athenaeum's Reach

The Bass Concert Hall also is designed to strengthen UT Dallas' connection with North Texas.

Calhoun said the quality of the O'Donnell Athenaeum's first phase and the support of other leading Dallas philanthropists reinforced the foundation's decision to invest again.

The partnership also carries forward the interests of Harry W. Bass Jr., whose curiosity ranged across the arts, humanities and technology. Calhoun, who is Bass' stepson, pointed to Bass' renowned coin collection and his early interest in computing as expressions of the broad intellectual curiosity reflected today in the school that carries his name.

"What we are doing today is carrying on what he started and putting his vision in place," Calhoun said.

Roemer said the foundation's continued support represents more than an investment in a new facility.

"The Bass name means support for ambition, creativity, and the best of arts and culture," he said. "I hope generations of students on campus will see how they and their aspirations are supported by the University and champions like the Bass Foundation."