Ball State University introduced Sursa Performance Hall last year as part of the new Music Instruction Building, and now the venue is being used for more than just concerts. Musicians can record their compact discs there, too.
Ideas of Ball State's record label, Beneficence Recordings, began a year and a half ago when the university started putting needed elements in place. Professor Robert Palmer, a pianist on two Beneficence CDs, said there are four important things needed for a musician to make a classical recording: a good instrument, a concert hall, a recording engineer and a record label. Ball State now has all four.
Palmer said Sursa Hall is the perfect place to record music. The hall has an acoustical design that can be altered for each musician's preference and is linked to facilities run by recording engineer Frank Lockwood.
Robert Kvam, dean of the College of Fine Arts, said he believed the record label was a positive addition to the university because it "showcases the faculty, facilities and highlights the technology available at Ball State."
Ball State's capabilities with such an outstanding facility are something that other state universities can't offer, Kvam said.
"There's nothing like this at IU," he said.
To date, Beneficence Recordings has produced three CDs. "La Gitana" is a collaboration between cellist Mihai Tetel and pianist Palmer. "The Romantic Spirit," solo performances by Palmer and "Looking Glass River," solo harp performances by Elizabeth Richter have also been produced by the label. All artists have been Ball State professors.
Palmer said everyone in the School of Music is really excited as performers to have the opportunity to get their music out to the public.
The CDs sell for $15, and orders are taken through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs because they deal with the development of intellectual property.
Kristi Koriath, information service manager at the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, deals with the orders and said the three CDs are picking up in sales, but it takes the involvement of the performers to promote their music.
Most often, orders come from a "niche audience of lovers of classical music," Koriath said. All performers get a share of the royalties made from their sold CDs.
Kvam said within the next year Ray Kilburn, associate professor of music, will have a solo piano CD coming out. Plans are also being made for Ball State's jazz ensemble, as well as a brass ensemble, woodwind quintet and piano trio to record.
"Art can be a public face for the university, much like athletics, and reach a greater means of potential students," Palmer said.
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