School of Music

Performance Spaces

Wild Beast

Christened in the spring of 2010, the Wild Beast is CalArts’ newest variable-use, indoor-outdoor music pavilion. Named in honor of the seminal work of composer Morton Feldman—who used the term “wild beast” as a metaphor for the ineffable generative force in art—the pavilion houses a highly flexible performance and rehearsal space that allows the Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts to better serve its growing student population and present more public concerts. Designed by the Culver City architectural firm of Hodgetts + Fung, the 3,200-square-foot structure seats 100 when closed; its open-air band-shell configuration accommodates an audience of more than 750.

Roy O. Disney Concert Hall

Many on-campus performances take place in the Roy O. Disney Concert Hall (ROD), a multipurpose space with adaptable acoustics, lighting and sound features. The ROD supports traditional recitals and concerts as well as multimedia and other experimental presentations. The space also doubles as a live recording room, equipped with its own assortment of recording-quality microphones and gear.

REDCAT

REDCAT is CalArts’ downtown Los Angeles center for the presentation of innovative performing, visual and media arts. Qualified music students are invited to perform here with faculty and visiting artists. Besides music performances, REDCAT’s eclectic programming allows all CalArts students to experience a wide range of experimental work by a mix of emerging artists and internationally renowned practitioners.

Walt Disney Modular Theater

Shared among the Institute's Schools, the Walt Disney Modular Theater (MOD) is a vast black-box theater which provides a venue for major operatic, world music and other ensemble performances. It possesses a variable architecture that supports an unlimited range of stage and audience configurations.

CalArts Main Gallery

The Main Gallery is a large open Institute space that provides a venue for rehearsals, performances and installations.

A300

This teaching/performance space provides an outstanding venue for small and medium-sized ensembles.

WaveCave

The WaveCave is a venue for music students to develop and exhibit interactive sound installations, video installations, interactive workshops, listening sessions and all forms of sound art and sculpture.

Practice Rooms

The Herb Alpert School of Music has more than 25 practice rooms, many with pianos, including designated rooms for piano and percussion majors. All rooms are available 24 hours a day during the academic year.

Studios

Electronic Studios

Reflecting the Music School’s long-standing reputation as a leader in the applications of technology to music, our electronic studios provide extensive state-of-the-art facilities for music synthesis, electronic composition, film/video scoring, digital recording, editing, processing and mixing, work with multimedia and telecommunications and development of custom software and hardware. The studios are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the academic year.

Electronic Studios Site

Instrumental Studios

Instrumental studios include the African Music Room, Gamelan Room and Machine Lab.

Instruments

CalArts maintains a sizable collection that features 50 pianos, two harpsichords, an organ and a celesta; two harps; various string, woodwind, brass and early European instruments; numerous orchestral and non-traditional percussion instruments; Balinese and Javanese gamelans; African drum ensembles; and sarods, sitars, tablas and other Indian instruments.