Blair Kamin, architecture critic for the Chicago Tribune, recently reviewed the Bienen School’s new Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts.
In his column, Kamin writes: “[The Ryan Center] get high marks for everything from its soundproof practice rooms to its welcoming performance and rehearsal rooms. There's much to appreciate in the expansive, light-filled interior, beginning with a three-story atrium that splits the building and opens it to views of the ever-changing lake.”
Kamin made special note of Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall, which he called a “hidden jewel.”
“The real glory of the interior, just off the atrium, is the intimate, two-level Galvin Recital Hall, whose warm and ribbonlike side walls of African Moabi wood offer a startling yet welcoming contrast to the cool, angular exterior.”