18 Sep 2023 Public invited to tour new Windgate Center on Thursday

CONWAY— The University of Central Arkansas will host a seal-breaking ceremony in celebration of the official opening of the new Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts. The event begins at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 21. 

This is the first in a series of events celebrating the opening of the Windgate Center that will occur throughout the next 18 months. The series is called Ovation: Shaping the Arts in Arkansas.

The seal-breaking ceremony will be followed by building tours of the Windgate Center. Attendees may also enjoy family-friendly arts activities and performances, exhibits and presentations by UCA students, faculty and staff.

The Conway Chamber of Commerce will also host an Off the Clock event at 5 p.m. after the seal-breaking ceremony. 

The final event of the opening celebration includes a free, ticketed concert from Grammy award-winning ensemble, Third Coast Percussion. The ensemble will perform their new program, “Perspectives,” at 7:30 p.m. in the Windgate Center Concert Hall. The concert is free, but all attendees must have a ticket. Tickets can be obtained at Reynolds Performance Hall, the Windgate Center Box Office or online.

The concert will begin with an original composition by Blake Tyson, a music professor at UCA. The composition is based on the sounds and rhythms created during the construction of the Windgate Center and will feature musicians from Conway and Greenbrier High Schools.

“Perspectives” will feature repertoire written by the iconic film composer Danny Elfman, innovative electronic music producer Jlin, American legend Phillip Glass and many more.

Third Coast Percussion’s visit is also part of the university’s artist-in-residence program and will be on campus from Wednesday, Sept. 20 to Thursday, Sept. 21. 

Support for this residency is provided by the Office of the President in conjunction with the grand opening celebration of the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts.

Additionally, Third Coast Percussion will host a master class in the Windgate Center Percussion Suite on Wednesday, Sept. 20, from 5-7 p.m. The following day, the group will hold a presentation and discussion titled “Thinking Outside the Classical Box, Bringing New Musical Works to Life” from 1:40-2:30 p.m. in the Windgate Center Percussion Suite.