Thanks to a $6 million donation from Point Loma philanthropist and builder Conrad Prebys, the University of California, San Diego can now fully fund the construction of its new, state-of-the-art music center.
Slated to open in the fall of 2009, the center will feature a 400-seat concert hall, a black box theater, a professional recording studio and an abundance of practice spaces, among other amenities, said university officials.
Prebys’ gift was all in the name of music appreciation, he said.
“The acoustics are using the most advanced techniques. It’ll be just a real experience to hear somebody perform in the new hall,” said Prebys, adding that he studied the plans for the center.
Rand Steiger, chair of the UCSD Music Department, and who also teaches music composition and conducting courses there, said he started working on plans for the new center back in 1989.
Steiger said there was initially some concern during the center’s planning stages over whether inflation worries might hinder its construction.
“When Mr. Prebys came forward with his gift, it saved the day and made the construction possible,” Steiger said. “We think it’s going to be an important resource and a great space for performing music.”
Prebys, a native of South Bend, Ind., thought at one time he would follow his father into a career in music. But he said it was one particular piano recital he gave at age 13 that changed the course of his life.
“How shall I say? I did not give a sterling performance,” Prebys laughed. “But my love of music continued on.”
Prebys settled in San Diego in 1965 with little more than $500 in his pocket and no car or job prospects, according to biographical information. Still, he went on to own Progress Construction and Management, a local property development company.
In addition to his donation to UCSD, Prebys has also given substantially to other organizations around San Diego, including
$10 million to the Old Globe Theater and $1 million toward the building of a Boys & Girls Club in Santee.
Steiger applauded Prebys for his generosity.
“I’m very grateful for not only what he’s done for us but for other important organizations, including the San Diego Zoo and the Old Globe in San Diego,” he said.
“He built up his business here and now he’s giving back to the community, and I really admire him for that.”
Prebys said he doesn’t make any set plans when it comes to generosity but rather contributes where he feels it makes sense.
“I’m very happy with all of my contributions,” he said. “[It’s] just the opportunities presented themselves and there’s something I feel very close to on each one.”
As a show of appreciation, UCSD announced on Friday, May 25 that the new building will be named the Conrad Prebys Music Center in his honor.
Prebys said he was honored.
“To be connected to a premiere university such as UCSD is very rewarding,” he said. “Eighteen years went into planning that facility, and to be part of it at this late date is a real honor and a thrill.”
The center will be a welcome addition to an already esteemed music program at UCSD, which along with MIT, Princeton and Stanford are the acknowledged inventors and pioneers of digital audio and computer music, according to university officials.
“What’s little known about UCSD is that the music department has a world-renowned program for its percussionists,” Prebys said.
“So now they’ll have proper, sound-proof rooms to practice in.”
In addition to Prebys’ donation, gifts were received from John J. Moores, regent of the University of California, and his wife; and Elaine Galinson, chair of the UC San Diego Foundation, and her husband.
For more information on the music center, visit www.campaign.ucsd.edu/musiccenter.
