April 24, 2025
Sonic bloom
Falls Music Center ushers in a new era of creativity and innovationby Rita Savard
The strings set the tone. Slow and reflective, like the first light of day illuminating students’ path to class nearly 250 years ago. Delicate, sustained notes create a sense of reverence that fills the room. Gradually, swelling harmonies emerge. Lush, sweeping violins and resonant cellos evoke the passage of time. As the piece progresses, the tempo quickens, introducing an energy that bridges tradition and innovation.
The music in composer Quinn Mason’s American Reflection—written for the Phillips Academy orchestras and performed for the first time in front of a captivated audience at Falls Music Center in late February—embodies the spirit of young musicians breathing new life into classical music in the 21st century.
The room is alive, and students are pulling the audience into something bigger than sound. It’s movement. It’s history. It’s the future, playing out in real time.
The performance is unlike any the Department of Music has ever hosted, and not just because of the brilliance of the guest composer, but also because until now, an event like this wasn’t within reach on campus. Designed for music from the ground up, with its state-of-the-art concert hall, practice spaces, recording studio, and electronic music lab, the new Falls Music Center has redefined what is possible at Andover.
“Here, music isn’t just played—it’s explored and reimagined,” says Abbey Siegfried, chair of the music department on the George H. Billings ’68 Foundation. “Whether you’re a seasoned musician or someone just discovering your first notes, this space invites all students to listen, wonder, and experiment with new creative worlds.”
The Academy Orchestra
Hitting All the Right Notes
Music education has long been an integral part of the Academy culture and curriculum. But for decades, Andover’s music scene thrived in spaces that often felt hidden—tucked away in Graves Hall, a former science building that the robust music program had long outgrown, or in the basement of Cochran Chapel.
Emily Wu ’25 (electric guitar), Matteo Horvat ’25 (cello), and Brandon Fu ’25 (sax).
Just two days after Falls Music Center opened in January, the PA and Cornell University orchestras played side by side in the John Barry Performance Hall. For audiences listening to music here for the first time, it wasn’t hard to be swept up by a tide of melody surging through a space built to cradle sound.
“You can hear the accuracy of every note played,” says cellist Matteo Horvat ’25. “It’s pretty incredible to be able to fill such a large room with your instrument.”
From the earliest performances to the constant rhythm of students flowing through the Gershwin-Godowsky Court—dropping into comfy couches for marathon conversations, meet-ups, or study sessions—this new home for music has become an unofficial coffeehouse of sorts.
“This space invites people to music,” says Amy Falls ’82, P ’19, ’21, president of the Board of Trustees and the building’s namesake. “It makes music more accessible—less something you have to qualify for and more something to experience and enjoy.”
As a student at Andover, Falls tried out for choir but didn’t make it.
“Back then, it felt like you really had to be a ‘music kid’ to do music,” Falls explains. “Kids are hungry for hangout spaces. So, let’s say some kids go hang out there, and maybe they are not playing music but hear someone playing piano and they go, ‘You know what? Maybe I’ll take piano lessons.’ For me, this building does both. It lifts our talent, putting them front and center, and it creates a culture where music is truly for everyone—a place where anyone can stop, listen, and maybe even join in.”
‘New Music for a New Era’
At Andover, music isn’t just something students study, it’s something they create, shape, and push forward. As the curtain pulls back on Falls Music Center, the music department is striking a new chord—literally. Thanks to the support of an Abbot Academy Fund grant, chair Abbey Siegfried was able to launch a three-year commissioning cycle for string orchestra called New Music for a New Era. The initiative celebrates Andover’s musical evolution, champions diverse composers, and brings fresh, dynamic pieces to students.
Violin Quartet: Maggie Fulop ’26, Annabelle Wu ’26, Julia Song ’26, and Claire Wang ’26.
“Last year, we kicked things off in a meaningful way by commissioning work from Abbot alumna Gwyneth Walker ’64, honoring both the legacy of Abbot and 50 years of coeducation,” Siegfried says. “This year we’re keeping the momentum going with a new commission from Quinn Mason, a rising star in classical music.”
Mason’s journey in music started at age 10 in public school. He saw his first live classical music concert on a field trip to see the Dallas Symphony Orchestra play Peter and the Wolf, with Grammy Award–winning artist Sting narrating. Around the same time, he began learning piano at school and became hyper focused on “creating music from 12 notes from silence and trying to tell a story with it.”
Now 28, the composer is being commissioned by orchestras all over the world, and his meteoric rise has critics hailing him as classical music’s next superstar. Standing with the Academy orchestras inside Falls Music Center in February, Mason tells students, “I was thrilled and excited when this commission came in.”
“The world comes to Andover” is an expression used to describe the extensive array of guests who visit the school every year and share perspectives and artistry representing all corners of the globe. Often this exchange of creativity is marked by classroom conversations and collaborations with faculty and students.
Mason’s visit resulted in a new composition written for Andover and performed by students, on campus and abroad—the Academy chamber orchestra performed the piece in London in March.
“Upon learning that this was one of the oldest high schools in the United States, established in 1778—what a mind-blowing thought, all those generations of students having been educated here—I started thinking about all the different students over time, going out and making a difference in the world,” explains Mason. “I wanted to pay tribute to that legacy but also acknowledge the present and the future and a new American sound of classical music here in the 21st century.”
The commissions, Siegfried adds, aren’t just about creating new music, they’re also about creating new opportunities.
“Each composer’s residency brings invaluable experiences for students,” Siegfried says. “It gives them a front-row seat to the creative process, inspiring young musicians and expanding their understanding of contemporary composition. Through these partnerships, we’re also amplifying fresh voices and giving students access to cutting-edge repertoire tailored for their level.”
The music department’s initiative comes at a time when students have a purpose-built music space with the technology available to activate limitless potential.
The response has been overwhelming. More students than ever are signing up for lessons, joining ensembles, and finding new ways to engage with music. We’re planting seeds that will grow for years to come.
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Nurturing Artists—and Audiences—of Tomorrow
Walk through the doors of Falls Music Center and you feel it immediately. This is a place made for music. Natural light pours through large windows where students gather—practicing their instruments, studying, connecting, and creating. It’s not just the building that is new. It’s a new way of experiencing community at Andover.
“This is the kind of place musicians dream about,” says Declan Siefkas, the Academy’s new director of music technology, who first stepped inside Falls Music Center in November. “To see a building made for music from the ground up is an experience that almost nobody gets. Maybe in some fancy concert halls—but in a school? It’s pretty incredible.”
Designed for the future, from the retractable seating in the main performance hall to adjustable acoustic banners in the recording studio, every element is intentional.
“There are no parallel walls,” Siefkas says. “That prevents flutter echoes. It’s details like that, along with sound-absorbing materials, that make the space perfect for music in a way a normal building could never be.”
For Tristin Mannion ’82, P ’19, trustee and Building Committee chair, a space where form meets function mattered—and a little something extra.
“We wanted to spark excitement,” Mannion says. “Students, faculty, and the programs that support them all have their own identities and needs. Our goal was to design an environment that’s future-ready—one that embraces the in-between spaces, allowing them to breathe, adapt, and transform into multifunctional landscapes where unique needs are not only met, they thrive and enrich one another.”
The building has already become a creative hub, with students hosting interdisciplinary art and music showcases, movie nights, and open mic events.
Amina Gorman ’26 and Micheal Kawooya ’26
“We had been heading in this direction for some time but kept hitting the wall with limitations of space,” says music instructor Christina Landolt ’02. “This building blew down that wall, and it expands whose voices we’ll be hearing in this space, which is huge.”
Students can now study production and mixing and expand their ability across a wide variety of musical styles. One student, adds Siefkas, will focus on house music next term, a genre of electronic dance music.
“It hasn’t been very long, but I’ve already had so many fun experiences here,” says saxophonist Brandon Fu ’25. “Just winter term alone, I’ve begun to produce music and use the recording studio, which is just a crazy thing for us to have! Every day I get to walk in and find something cool to do.”
An official community open house for Falls Music Center is planned for May. Amy Falls hopes to attend with her father, Dr. Hugh Falls, who is 94 years young and still enjoys playing the piano.
Falls’s mother Alice, also 94, suffers from cognitive decline but continues to take great joy in hearing her favorite old tunes played on the piano.
“Music speaks to human beings in a way that is very powerful,” Falls says. “It’s a language that crosses barriers. In this time of needing to build bridges, music is another avenue—like striking a match that lights the way for a kid waiting to discover their next passion.”
Students watching and participating in a recent “Coffeehouse” event—the culmination of a song writing class, where they wrote and performed their own music—agree that Falls Music Center is Andover’s promise to nurture the artists and audiences of tomorrow.
“It’s the people who make it truly magical,” says pianist William Ge ’25. “Being able to play chamber pieces, perform concerts, and listen to the incredible work of my friends is what makes the music program feel like home. Our community is like a love letter to the different ways music has shaped us.”
Photos by Lisa Czech
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