This morning, the long-awaited remodeling of Bass Concert Hall -- the main performance center on UT campus, located between the LBJ Library and Royal-Memorial Football Stadium -- began in earnest. The renovations will cost a total of approximately $15 million and will include upgrades in fire code compliance, improvements in sound and lighting systems, restaurants, a rooftop lounge, a donor lounge, as well as additional exhibition spaces. It will also include a new glass-front facade and a larger, light-filled lobby. The hall was built in 1981 and has never been renovated.

Because of the construction, Bass will be closed for the next 18 months. As a result, the venue will not hold a traditional season next school year. While closed, the UT Performing Arts Center (UTPAC) will be showing events at the University's five smaller theaters: B. Iden Payne Theatre, Bates Recital Hall, Hogg Memorial Auditorium, McCullough Theatre and Oscar B. Brockett Theatre.

Additionally, instead of planning events months or years in advance in accordance with its traditional model, UTPAC will be stepping out on a limb in the next 18 months by organizing "surprise" events on the fly throughout the school year. UTPAC will be working with Live Nation, one of the largest concert promotion companies in the world, to expand UTPAC's event offerings to the community. To stay informed about upcoming productions by UTPAC, you can join their email list here.

The designers of the new Bass Concert Hall are BOORA Architects of Portland, Oregon, who are working alongside Austin-based CCS&H Architects. According to UTPAC, "the University has committed $9 million to renovate Bass and the Performing Arts Center has secured a bond to pay for the remaining $5.7 million."

It also happens that the Bass renovation project is an integral part of a much bigger plan: UTPAC's campaign to ratchet up fundraising efforts for its Endowment for Performing Excellence. Specifically, UTPAC's stated goal is to scare up an additional $10 million, which would bring the Endowment's total value to $20 million. With these extra funds, UTPAC hopes to "make the arts available to all of Austin by subsidizing ticket prices, free youth performances and community outreach," as well as expanding the number of venues around Austin at which it produces events. In other words, Austin's relatively non-competitive concert promotion industry is about to witness a major injection of competition, thanks to the efforts of UTPAC.

*Image of current Bass Concert Hall courtesy of Flickr. Design image of new Bass Concert Hall courtesy of BOORA Architects.