Concert Hall
Wattenbarger Auditorium
Wattenbarger Auditorium
The auditorium is named for the orchestra’s founder, James Wattenbarger, who chaired the TTU Department of Music from 1963 to 1982. Wattenbarger, who studied violin and conducting at the Vienna Conservatory, was a seminal force at both the university and in music education statewide. He designed the Bryan Fine Arts Building, and under his watch, music enrollment at the university soared – largely because he was also able to increase the number of music faculty as well. After returning to the faculty in 1982, Wattenbarger continued to direct what was then called the Tech Community Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until retiring in 1990. Wattenbarger passed away in March 2006.
Most of TTU's musical performances take place in Wattenbarger Auditorium. For a current schedule of events, visit the TTU Department of Music and Art's web site.
Bryan Fine Arts Building
Bryan Fine Arts Building
When it opened in 1981, the Bryan Fine Arts Building was named after Charles Faulkner Bryan, whose work was the first by a Tennessee composer to be premiered by a large professional orchestra. Head of the Tennessee Tech music program during the Depression, Bryan went on to graduate studies at Peabody College in Nashville and Yale University, studying under German composer Paul Hindemith. In 1945, Bryan became the first Tennessee composer to win a Guggenheim Fellowship. His works were performed by, among others, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Julliard Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by Robert Shaw at Carnegie Hall. A native of McMinnville, Tenn., Bryan died tragically young – at just 44 years old in 1955.
Directions and Parking
Directions and Parking
The Bryan Symphony Orchestra performs all regular subscription and education concerts in Wattenbarger Auditorium, the concert hall of the Bryan Fine Arts Building on the Tennessee Tech University campus. The Bryan Fine Arts Building is located on the corner of 12th Street and North Dixie Avenue in Cookeville.
From Interstate 40, take Exit 286 (Willow Avenue). Turn north on Willow and travel approximately two miles to 12th Street and turn right.
Free parking on concert Sundays is available anywhere on campus. The nearest large parking lots are across Dixie Avenue from the Bryan Fine Arts Building, between Tucker Stadium and the Volpe Library, behind the Roaden University Center and at the former Prescott Middle School, two blocks away on 10th Street.
