LINCOLN, Neb. — The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Glenn Korff School of Music is inviting the community to get a first look inside its stunning new home later this summer — and to stick around for the beloved Cornhusker Marching Band’s annual exhibition.

On August 22, the school will host a public open house for the newly completed Westbrook Music Building, welcoming visitors between 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at 10th and Q streets. The free event will offer self-guided tours of the state-of-the-art space, with faculty, staff, and students on hand to answer questions and share what makes the building special.

Immediately following, the Cornhusker Marching Band’s annual exhibition concert will kick off at 7 p.m. in Memorial Stadium, giving fans a taste of what the band has prepared during its pre-season camp — including the crowd-favorite drill down, where members compete to show off their sharpest marching skills.

The new building marks a major leap forward for Nebraska’s music program. It replaces the former Westbrook Music Building, which first opened in 1967 at 11th and R streets. Funded with $75 million from the Nebraska Legislature through LB384, the new facility promises to elevate the experience for students and audiences alike.

“We didn’t just build a facility — we created a platform for a new era of innovation, interdisciplinarity and artistic excellence,” said Felix Olschofka, director of the Glenn Korff School of Music. “I invite our alumni and the entire community to come see this beautiful new home for the Glenn Korff School of Music.”

Spanning 103,000 square feet, the new Westbrook Music Building opened in May and will welcome its first classes this fall. The design by BNIM of Kansas City and Sinclair Hille Architects of Lincoln, with construction by Hausmann Construction and acoustical engineering by Kirkegaard, emphasizes natural light, open social spaces, and top-tier sound environments.

Major highlights include

• An immersive performance hall with retractable seating for 175, spatial sound, HD video conferencing, streaming tech, and a dynamic, six-panel LED screen that transforms performances into multimedia experiences.

“With the new immersive space, music concerts and events can transcend traditional formats… providing a dynamic canvas for audiovisual projects,” Olschofka said.

• A recording studio fitted with high-fidelity equipment, real-time mixing, VR integration and networked livestream capabilities.

“The latest network technology will allow the studio to livestream to and from rehearsal spaces,” Olschofka said. “The recording studio will play a key role in supporting and executing these new curricular opportunities.”

Beyond performance spaces, the building houses two large rehearsal rooms for band and choir, a dedicated percussion space, music library, 16 classrooms, 41 practice rooms, and 65 offices.

It’s also designed for interdisciplinary collaboration across the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, supporting theatre, audio engineering and digital media work.

Phase two of the project is already underway: the south portion of the original Westbrook Music Building will be renovated and connected to the new facility to add more classrooms and offices. The north side will be demolished and replaced with green space to link the music building to the broader arts quadrangle. The full project wraps up in spring 2026, with an official dedication to be announced.

“The building is both beautiful and highly functional, and it truly supports the next chapter of excellence at the Glenn Korff School of Music,” Olschofka said. “It’s exciting to imagine all the possibilities this new home will open up for everyone.”

Visitors attending the open house should enter at the southwest entrance at 10th and Q streets. Fans headed to Memorial Stadium for the Cornhusker Marching Band show can enter through Gate 3 (southwest) or Gate 11 (northwest) starting at 6 p.m.

Both events are free and open to the public, welcoming the Husker community back to campus for an evening celebrating the arts, tradition, and the future of music education in Nebraska.

Originally reported by Kathe Andersen in Nebraska Today.