The Bienen School of Music’s facilities are among the best of any music institution in the nation.

The school’s three buildings - the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts, Regenstein Hall of Music, and Pick-Staiger Concert Hall - form a musical village on the southeast corner of Northwestern’s Evanston campus on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Ryan Center for the Musical Arts

Ryan Center for the Musical Arts

Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts

Ryan Center for the Musical Arts

Carol F. Rice Lobby

Ryan Center for the Musical Arts

Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall

Ryan Center for the Musical Arts

Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall

Ryan Center for the Musical Arts

Shirley Welsh Ryan Opera Theater

Ryan Center for the Musical Arts

David and Carol McClintock Choral and Recital Room

Ryan Center for the Musical Arts

Common Area

Ryan Center for the Musical Arts

Practice Room

About the Ryan Center for the Musical Arts

70 Arts Circle Drive
Evanston, IL 60208

Opened in 2015, the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts is situated on the lakefront and integrates completely with Regenstein Hall of Music, with two connections between the buildings on each of Regenstein’s three levels. The Ryan Center’s three performance venues include the Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall, Shirley Welsh Ryan Opera Theater, and David and Carol McClintock Choral and Recital Room.

Designed by Chicago-based architectural firm Goettsch Partners, the design features a limestone base supporting an exterior that is primarily glass, taking maximum advantage of the site’s lakefront location and views of the Chicago skyline.

Practice Spaces

Access to Bienen School practice rooms is only available to current Bienen School students and non-majors during any quarter they’re enrolled in lessons and/or an ensemble. Access requires a registered HID-enabled Wildcard, and student cards are programmed with different access to certain rooms depending on a student’s area of study. All practice rooms are available 7 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week. 

Please contact musicfacilities@northwestern.edu with questions about practice rooms and card access.

Additional Practice Room Information

Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

Aerial view of stage

Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

Exterior view

Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

Balcony view

Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

Orchestra view

Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

Exterior view facing South

About Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

Since its inception in 1975, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall has functioned as both a classroom and performance facility for Bienen School of Music performing ensembles, faculty recitals, festivals, and professional guest artists. The hall’s stage canopy, wall panels, and sound curtains can each be arranged and adjusted according to the type and size of the forces performing.

Pick-Staiger Concert Hall seats 972 guests and wheelchair accessible seats (16) are located on the ends of rows G and H. The main entrance for concerts is located on the west side of the building, while the ticket office is located at the southeast entrance.

Regenstein Hall of Music

Regenstein Hall of Music

Exterior view

Regenstein Hall of Music

Master Class Room

Regenstein Hall of Music

Hallway outside Master Class Room

Regenstein Hall of Music

Exterior view of Regenstein Hall and campus


Music Library

The Northwestern University Music Library, located within the University Library, is among the nation's largest music libraries and is distinguished internationally for its extensive holdings of printed music and archival materials documenting music composed since 1945. The library offers roughly 300,000 volumes of books, printed music, sound recordings, and journals; maintains subscriptions to over 400 periodicals and a full array of online resources; includes thousands of music manuscripts and pieces of correspondence; and houses the archives of John Cage and other notable musicians. The library serves the Bienen School of Music, the entire Northwestern University community, and researchers from around the world.

Learn more about the Music Library