See & Do | Green Music Center

by Marcy Joyce
Wine County Lifestyle / Spring 2017

When the storied arts venue that houses the Sonoma State University Department of Music known as the Green Music Center first opened in September 2012—after being a dream shared by several that turned into a project 15 years in the making—Sonoma County got a new place to experience culture and well-known artists got a new location to add to their list of dates.

A tour through the back stage of the main 1,400-seat hall with Kamen Nikolov, the GMC’s director of production operations and Kathryn Stewart, associate director of communications, showcases autographed pictures of past performers across diverse genres. Included among many are Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, Smokey Robinson, Alison Krauss, Jason Mraz and Martina McBride. The Santa Rosa Symphony is the resident orchestra and concert pianists and choral groups are regularly a part of the year-round program.

“You can think of the hall as a living, breathing musical instrument.” —Kamen Nikolov, GMC director of production operations

Kathryn, originally from Fresno, earned a Master’s degree in voice performance and pedagogy, and was working with the New York Philharmonic communications department when she took the opportunity to come back to California, joining the GMC seven months ago. She hints at alternative rock band Goo Goo Dolls performing this summer, although the summer schedule is still developing and will be made available on the GMC website later this spring. 

She goes on to mention, “Kathy Mattea. For Fourth of July, we’re going to have a bluegrass festival again this year that will coincide with the craft beer festival. Last year we had local breweries participate in that. Gloria Estefan will be here this summer which is very exciting and Willie Nelson and Kacey Muskgrave.” Kathryn adds that jazz and country shows tend to sell a lot of tickets.

The Green Music Center consists of Weill Hall, which in the summertime opens onto the terraced lawn with speakers on either side and a 30-foot television with a four-camera system for indoor/outdoor shows accommodating up to 5,000 people and the smaller, more intimate 240-seat Schroeder Hall (named after the piano-playing Peanuts character with the permission of local resident Jean Schulz, wife of the late comic creator Charles Schulz) which opened in August 2014 with the Peanuts theme song playing ceremonially.