Inside, October 23, 1998

Inside Iowa State
October 23, 1998

Tye gift renovates music recital hall

by Steve Sullivan
A Marshalltown woman's generosity and love of the arts will be recognized on Sunday, Oct. 25, when the Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall in the Music Hall is dedicated.
The existing recital hall will be named in honor of the late Marshall-town woman, whose $1.1 million gift to the ISU Foundation's Campaign Destiny greatly has impacted the performing arts and art education at Iowa State.
The Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall dedication will begin at 3 p.m. A dedication concert will feature the Iowa State Singers and the University Chorus. Tours and demonstrations of the hall's renovations will be offered.
Tye, who died last May, was well known for her philanthropic activities, not only in her hometown, but throughout the state, nation and world. She was the lead donor to renovate Iowa State's Fisher Theater, named for her brother Bill, who attended ISU in the 1930s and, like his sister, was a major benefactor in building the facility.
Tye's most recent gift to ISU includes $300,000 to create a performing arts scholarship endow-ment, $500,000 to establish the Martha-Ellen Tye Performing Arts Institute and $300,000 to renovate the recital hall.
The recital hall upgrade includes a surround-sound, audio- video system; a multi-channel audio workstation enabling high digital recordings; and a theatrical lighting system. All the formats are computer integrated, providing direct access via the Internet.
"The scholarship program and the improvements to the recital hall greatly enhance opportunities for students in the department of music," said music department chair Sue Haug. "We are honored to have Martha-Ellen Tye's name associated with our hall and are pleased to have student ensembles participating in this dedication event because students are the ultimate recipients of her generosity."
The Martha-Ellen Tye Performing Arts Institute, which is coordinated by the Iowa State Center, was created to present and support education and outreach programs. The institute will offer educational programs to elementary, high school and university students; provide performance experiences to aspiring young performing artists and support the facilities that help students realize their creative potential, said Paul Ferrone, director of performing arts programming for the Iowa State Center.
The institute's inaugural event will be in September 1999, when selected winners of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions will perform at Stephens Auditorium, accompanied by the Des Moines Symphony.
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