Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), the German intellectual whose existence and contributions personified the links between the arts and sciences, is reputed to have referred to architecture as “frozen music.”

When the new Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building at MIT had its public inauguration earlier this year, the outdoor temperatures might have been sub-zero, but the performances indoors served as a warm-up for the opening concert scheduled for the evening. In the afternoon, attendees were welcomed to workshops focusing on Balinese gamelan and Senegalese drumming, in addition to performances by the MIT Chamber Music Society, MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble, and the MIT Laptop Ensemble (FaMLE), showcasing the harmony between global music legacies and modern innovations in music technology. The venue was bustling with guests from the MIT community and the nearby Boston area, eager to be among the first to explore the new facility and learn about the plans MIT Music had prepared for the inaugural event.

The evening’s signature concert, Sonic Jubilance, marked the building’s inauguration, highlighting the essential role of MIT Music and Theater Arts (MTA) at the heart of campus life. The program featured five world premieres by MIT composers: “Summit and Mates,” by assistant professor of jazz Miguel Zenón; “Grace,” by senior lecturer in music Charles Shadle; “Two Noble Kinsmen,” by professor emeritus in music John Harbison; and “Madrigal,” by Keeril Makan, the Michael (1949) and Sonja Koerner Music Composition Professor.

The premieres were seamlessly integrated throughout the program with performances by MIT ensembles, showcasing the range and richness of the conservatory-level music curriculum — from classical European heritage to Brazilian rhythms to Boston jazz (the complete list of participating ensembles is provided below).

Every performance illustrated the various ways the venue could be utilized to forge new connections among musicians and audiences. Designed in the round by the architectural firm SANAA, the Thomas Tull Concert Hall facilitates sound to emanate from the circular stage or from the walkways above the tiered seating; performers might find themselves beneath, above, or even amidst the audience.

“Music has been a fundamental component of MIT’s curriculum and culture since its inception,” stated Chancellor Melissa Nobles in her opening remarks. “Achieving this remarkable space has necessitated the joint efforts of previous presidents, provosts, deans, faculty, alumni, and students — all collaborating to bring us to this moment tonight.”

Jay Scheib, the Class of 1949 Professor and head of MIT’s MTA section, highlighted the essential function of Music at MIT as a wellspring of unity and creativity for students, faculty, and the broader MIT community.

“The new facility is an exceptional home for us. As a hub to bring together communities around global musics and cultures, to explore emerging music technologies, and to enjoy concerts and premieres featuring our remarkable students and our internationally esteemed faculty — the Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building is truly a transformative creation.”

The concert also served as the kickoff event for Artfinity, MIT’s largest public arts festival since 2011, showcasing over 80 free performing and visual arts events. The concert hall is set to host a variety of performances throughout the spring, encompassing classical, jazz, rap, and much more.

Institute Professor Marcus Thompson — serving as the faculty co-lead for Artfinity alongside Azra Akšamija, director and associate professor of the Art, Culture, and Technology Program (ACT) at MIT — shared insights on the Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building as a focal point for the festival.

“Our building presents the opportunity to acknowledge the presence and significance of diverse art forms, media, practices, and experiences that can unite us as creators and spectators, uplifting both our spirits and aspirations,” Thompson reflected. “An ensemble of any kind acts as a community and symbolizes what binds us, utilizing various talents to craft more than we can achieve individually.”

The new pieces created by the four faculty members exemplified this notion. The program commenced with “Summit,” a brass fanfare energetically projected from the apex of the hall. “This piece was intentionally composed as an opener for the concert,” Zenón elaborated. “My goal was to craft something that would make an immediate impact, while also incorporating the ‘groove’ as a motivating force. The title carries two interpretations — the first is a peak, or the top of a structure — which is where the ensemble will be located during the performance. The second interpretation signifies a gathering of brilliant minds and influential leaders, which is what MIT represents to me.” Later in the program, Zenón introduced a jazz contrafact, “Mates,” inspired by Benny Golson’s Stablemates, honoring Herb Pomeroy, founder of MIT’s jazz program. “The objective here is to draw upon something rooted in the jazz tradition — and Boston’s rich history — and to interpret it from a more personal angle,” noted Zenón.

“Two Noble Kinsmen,” composed by Harbison, was envisioned as a benediction for the new dwelling of MIT Music. “By selecting to set Shakespeare’s final words in this new piece for choir and strings, I aimed to express a sense of an invocation, an introduction, a message to unseen forces,” Harbison stated. “In this instance, I intended to keep the musical framework as straightforward as possible so that the rationale behind these chosen words is evident. I aspired to capture the steadfast balance of these lines — they intrinsically possess a kind of verbal music.”

In adapting the poem “Grace,” by Linda Hogan, a Chickasaw poet, Shadle — who has Choctaw heritage — conceptualized a “sonic extension” of the MIT Land Acknowledgement. “‘Grace’ is designed to honor the Indigenous presence at the Institute and to inaugurate the new building with a reminder of the healing power music can provide to a troubled world,” expressed Shadle. “I hope that I have created music that resonates with both Indigenous and Western traditions in meaningful and thoughtful ways, and that, while acknowledging the ‘pieces of hurt,’ it still makes space for grace.”

Prior to the concert’s exhilarating finale — a performance by the Rambax Senegalese Drum Ensemble led by Lamine Touré — “Madrigal” (the evening’s fourth world premiere) illustrated the spatial aspects of sound made feasible by the concert hall’s design.

Makan’s composition was executed by four student violinists placed at the top of each aisle with a fifth, Professor Natalie Lin Douglas, at the stage’s center, simultaneously highlighting the geometry of the hall and alluding to the continuously evolving perspectives of the sculpture positioned at the north entrance of the building — “Madrigal (2024),” created by Sanford Biggers.

“My composition aims to encapsulate the multifaceted nature of Sanford Biggers’ sculpture. No matter the angle from which we observe it, we perceive identical patterns in new relations with one another. In essence, there is no single viewpoint that holds greater significance than another.”

As the faculty lead for the building initiative, Makan developed a friendship with Joyce Linde, who contributed the key gift that facilitated the construction of the building. “Joyce and I were part of the selection committee responsible for choosing an artist for a site-specific sculpture outside the building. She was intensely enthusiastic about the endeavor and highly engaged with Sanford,” Makan recalled. “Joyce passed away before she could witness the building’s completion, and I wanted to honor her legacy by composing an original piece of music in her memory.”

That essence of relationship, pattern formation, and fresh starts was articulated by Frederick Harris, director and senior lecturer in music and co-producer of the concert, alongside Andy Wilds, program manager in music. “The hall functions as an instrument; we’re interacting with this remarkable space and getting to know it,” Harris commented. “It’s all about relationship. The circular nature of the hall is incredibly inviting, not just for immersive experiences but also for shared moments.”

The significance of music in fostering community will guarantee that the building becomes a vital part of MIT life. The activities occurring in rehearsal spaces parallel the creativity found in the Institute’s laboratories — affirming that the arts are an essential complement to science and technology, inextricably linked to the human need to express and innovate. Sonic Jubilance sets the precedent for what lies ahead.

MIT Music ensembles (in order of concert occurrence):

• MIT Concert Choir

• MIT Chamber Chorus

• MIT Chamber Music Society

• MIT Vocal Jazz Ensemble

• MIT Jazz Advanced Music Performance Ensemble

• MIT Axiom Ensemble

• MIT Wind Ensemble

• MIT Gamelan Galak Tika

• Rambax MIT