The Enduring Magic of Chenery Auditorium
The historic Chenery Auditorium will host several of this year’s most highly anticipated concerts. Described as “one of the most beautiful concert halls in the whole of America” by 1998 Gilmore artist Leif Ove Andsnes, Chenery was completed over a century ago and has remained a cornerstone of arts and culture in Kalamazoo.
According to Kalamazoo Public School’s website, Chenery Auditorium was originally commissioned for Kalamazoo Central High School and built to replace an earlier venue that, although large, did not have ideal acoustics. From the beginning, however, it was envisioned as more than just a school venue. An August 1922 Kalamazoo Gazette article stated that it would be used for “…assemblies, lectures, musicals…and as a community auditorium for the general public.” That vision quickly became reality. Writer Glenn Aumond said of this 2,700-seat theatre (more than double the number of high school students they had at the time),
“…for a number of years we have wanted an atmosphere where we could appreciate the high-class attractions which come here,…