School of Church Music celebrates Reynolds Auditorium reopening

During a rededication ribbon-cutting ceremony, Oct. 17, the newly renovated Reynolds Auditorium in Cowden Hall was revealed to students, faculty, trustees and friends of Southwestern. The auditorium seats more than 400 people and is the location for many recitals, performances, and concerts.

The Southwestern Singers and Southwestern School of Church Music faculty led worship and gave special musical performances for those in attendance. Dean of the School of Church Music Leo Day spoke to attendees about the rededication of the auditorium, thanking the dozens of people who saw the vision of how a renovated auditorium could better serve students and faculty.

In his remarks, Day recalled the first time he entered Reynolds Auditorium. Struck by its design and acoustics, he said he knew it was an ideal environment for making music. But after many decades of use, he said it was in need of renovation to better serve more students in upcoming years.

Day noted that the renovations were made possible thanks to the generous financial contributions of Southwestern ministry partners who understood the vision of renovated facilities, as well as the many people who spent the previous months overseeing renovations. Because of the hard work of each person connected to the project, Day said the auditorium now has new life.

“I personally cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to see the glorious transformation of a very special room,” Day said. “Tonight, I come with a ready tongue of praise, a ready heart of gratitude, ready feet for working, and ready hands for worship.”

In conclusion, Day said he is prayerful that the School of Church Music will continue to utilize the auditorium for many years to come, providing students a place to honor the Lord with their musical skills in performances and concerts. “While it is true that God blessed us to have this glorious space to provide the best environment in which to make music,” Day said, “we must be cognizant of the fact that it must be fueled continuously with new faculty, new students, new ideas and new music that God Himself will reveal not only to current faculty and students, but tomorrow’s faculty and students as well.”