UNO Celebrates Completion of Strauss Renovation

UNO and the NU Foundation gathered with community supporters on April 18 to celebrate the addition, renovations, and improvements made throughout the Willis A. and Janet S. Strauss Performing Arts Center. The concert hall was officially named and dedicated in honor of Jan and John Christensen.

The celebration began with facility tours followed by a dinner featuring musical performances by School of Music faculty and students, and remarks from university and foundation leadership. The evening concluded with a formal ribbon cutting and performance by the Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra and the Omaha Symphony in the Jan and John Christensen Concert Hall as part of the International Concert Series.

Originally built in 1973, the Strauss Performing Arts Center has undergone a complete renovation and the construction of a 25,000-square-foot addition to the facility. The renovations and expansion offer countless features including: a recital hall, recording tracking room, collaborative piano rehearsal spaces, percussion studio, teaching studios, and more. These features, along with an acoustically isolated design and construction, provide a state-of-the-art academic experience for our students, as well as for arts patrons and guests.