Juilliard Renames New Wing, The Irene Diamond Building, In Recognition of Longtime Benefactor, Irene Diamond

Juilliard's Expand and Renovation Winds Down as the 2009-2010 Academic Year Begins; Dedication Ceremony Taking Place on Monday, September 14, 2009

The Juilliard School announced that it will rename the new wing of its main building, the Irene Diamond Building, in recognition of longtime benefactor, the late Irene Diamond, and the generous support of the Irene Diamond Fund. A dedication ceremony is planned for Monday, September 14, which includes an exclusive tour of all of Juilliard's new building spaces. The new signage for the building can be viewed from the Broadway side of the building, near 66^th Street. The Irene Diamond Building comprises the new wing in its entirety, which has added approximately 40,000 square feet of usable space to Juilliard's original architecture. This historic expansion allows Juilliard to better meet the space needs stemming from the natural growth of existing programs, as well as the creation of new programs. The main entrance, now located on 65^th Street, provides access to the School's classrooms, box office, and theaters, a significant logistical, as well as philosophical improvement.

Irene Diamond was a major benefactor of the arts and medical research in New York City. She passed away in 2003 at the age of 92. Mrs. Diamond was president of the Irene Diamond Fund, which she established in 1994 to support the performing arts and the fight against AIDS. She was also president of the Aaron Diamond Foundation, which she and her husband, a New York real estate developer, set up in the in 1985. The Foundation's emphasis was on medical research and was the United States' largest private supporter of AIDS research. In 1991, the Foundation established the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center for the City of New York, directed by David D. Ho, M.D., professor at The Rockefeller University. The Diamonds determined that the Foundation should exist for 10 years after its major funding was in place, which occurred in January 1987. The Foundation spent $220 million during the next 10 years, mostly in New York City. Through her fund, Mrs. Diamond supported various New York institutions, including Juilliard, Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York City Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, and the New York Public Library.  Irene Diamond was a board member of Human Rights Watch, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and Young Concert Artists. She received the National Medal of Arts in 1999 from President Bill Clinton, and in 2001, she received the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

A native of Pittsburgh, Irene Diamond pursued a film industry career in NYC and Hollywood, becoming a senior story and talent editor for Warner Brothers, Samuel Goldwyn, and Paramount Pictures. Among her credits during many years of working with the producer Hal Wallis, are the purchase and development of the scripts, Come Back Little Sheba, The Rose Tattoo, and Casablanca.

Juilliard presented Irene Diamond with an honorary doctorate in 1992 for her philanthropy work. Irene Diamond, personally, and through the Irene Diamond Fund and the Aaron Diamond Foundation, became an important benefactor to Juilliard. Her support ranged from special projects designed to encourage the advancement of students and faculty from minority populations (which was to become Juilliard's Music Advancement Program or MAP), through beneficial programs of undergraduate and graduate fellowships, to unrestricted grants that allowed Juilliard to move forward in a variety of funds. The Juilliard community will remain forever grateful for her visionary generosity.

Juilliard's expansion, designed by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with FX Fowle, includes new and renovated teaching studios; classrooms; practice rooms; a multi-use 2,000 square foot performance space for dance, drama, and opera; a state-of-the-art music technology center with two rehearsal rooms and a teaching/engineering studio that is connected to the multi-use theater for experimentation and performances; and a 1,100 square foot Writing and Communication Center, classroom, and a large tutoring and study area. A dance studio (named the Glorya Kaufman Dance Studio) with floor to ceiling glass frontage on Broadway, projects forward from the Juilliard building and makes dance activity viewable to all. Two open-air courtyards on the top floor of Juilliard have been enclosed and reclaimed for teaching studios and an acoustically calibrated 3,500 square foot orchestra rehearsal room. The firm, JaffeHolden, has been retained to do the acoustics. Other new spaces include a climate-controlled and secure storage room dedicated to the priceless Juilliard Manuscript Collection and a new faculty lounge.