SUU to Celebrate New Eccles Music Center with Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening
Published: September 15, 2026 | Author: Kol Gibson | Read Time: 3 minutes
Southern Utah University will officially celebrate the opening of the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Music Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026 at 4 p.m. as part of SUU’s Homecoming celebration. The community is invited to join in marking this new chapter for music at SUU.
The ribbon cutting will kick off a three-day celebration of the new 51,250-square-foot facility, which serves as the new home for SUU’s growing music program and provide students, faculty, performers, and audiences with state-of-the-art spaces for learning, creating, and performing.
Following the ribbon cutting, music students, alumni, and faculty, as well as Cedar City community members will perform in the Grand Opening Concert at 8:00 p.m. An encore performance will be held on Friday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. Both concerts are free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Tickets may be picked up at Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA), Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The celebration will conclude on Saturday, Sept. 26, with an Open House from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., following the SUU Homecoming Parade. Community members are invited to tour the new facility and experience performances and recitals featuring SUU Music students, faculty, and alumni. The Open House will offer a firsthand look at the many ways the Eccles Music Center will be used as a space for education, performance, and artistic collaboration.
“Music has always been an important part of the SUU experience, and now we have a home that reflects the talent, creativity, and ambition of our students, faculty, and alumni,” said Dr. Adam Lambert, chair of the SUU Music Department. “It feels especially fitting to celebrate the opening of the Eccles Music Center during Homecoming, when our university community comes together to celebrate where we’ve been and look forward to where we’re going. We’re excited to welcome our community into this new space and, more importantly, to fill it with music for generations to come.”
The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Music Center represents a significant investment in the future of music at SUU and in the cultural life of southern Utah. The university invites students, alumni, community members, and music lovers from across the region to help celebrate the opening of this new home for music. Learn more about this amazing facility by visiting www.suu.edu/pva/music/facilities.html.
About SUU's College of Performing and Visual Arts
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (CPVA) at Southern Utah University comprises 41 academic programs, including liberal arts (BA/BS) and professional (BFA, BM, BMEd) degrees in art, design, dance, filmmaking, music, and theatre. It includes graduate programs in the fields of arts administration (MFA, MA), music education (MME), and music technology (MM). More than 60 full-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 900 majors in the College. CPVA presents over 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year, which are complemented by the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA) and Shakespeare Studies at SUU, and is affiliated with the Tony award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival (USF). Southern Utah University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST), making SUU the first public university in the state of Utah to be accredited by all four associations. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, visit www.suu.edu/pva.Contact Information
Kol Gibson
435-865-8667
kolgibson@suu.edu