At the University of North Texas College of Music, you can perfect your skills in 300 practice rooms, classrooms, rehearsal rooms and computer labs. The university also has one of the largest music libraries in the nation. The centerpiece of musical activity at UNT is the Murchison Performing Arts Center, which features state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems. Many of the performances at the Murchison are broadcast to a worldwide audience through live-streaming technology.
Murchison Performing Arts Center
The Murchison Performing Arts Center (MPAC) is the premiere performance facility of the prestigious University of North
Texas College of Music. The award-winning facility features two world-class performance
venues: The Margot and Bill Winspear Performance Hall and the Lyric Theatre, as well
as the Brock Grand Lobby and several studio and rehearsal spaces. Opened in 1999,
the facility is the host to the finest that the renowned UNT College of Music has
to offer. We are excited to continue to bring to you the wide range of musical programming
that you have come to expect. Visit the College of Music Online Calendar for a full listing of events. Visit the MPAC Website to purchase tickets.
See location on a map.
Winspear Performance Hall
The expansive Margot and Bill Winspear Performance Hall has been recognized as one of the finest concert halls in the world. Extraordinary in both acoustical quality and aesthetic design, 1,025-seat venue hosts musical events ranging from early music to jazz The hall's acoustics, designed by the internationally renowned Christopher Jaffe, are varied with ten acoustical curtains and three vertically adjustable clouds. Fully accessible, it features fixed seating in the orchestra and center balcony and flexible seating in 6 boxes. Performances are regularly broadcast from the stage of Winspear Hall via live streaming at UNTMusicLive.com.
Lyric Theatre
The Lyric Theatre at UNT's Murchison Performing Arts Center features flexible seating for up to 300 depending on staging requirements, making it both intimate and versatile. The room's configurations range from traditional proscenium to in-the-round and everything in between. Two balcony levels provide additional seating and/or staging options. An orchestra pit accommodates a 60-piece ensemble.
Music Building
Choir Room
Renovated in 2020, the room doubles as rehearsal hall for UNT Choirs and an intimate recital space for students, faculty and guest artists.
Lab East
Lab East (MU 263) is a slightly smaller hall than Lab West and is also used for many classes and rehearsals. It is equipped with risers, sound equipment for classes, drums, guitar and bass amps, and a Steinway grand piano. This hall is also available to be checked out for special musical projects carried on by students involving the rehearsal of groups formed for specific purposes.
Lab West
Lab West (MU282) is a combination teaching, rehearsal and recital hall with terraced seating for 115 people, and is the venue for all jazz recitals. The hall is equipped with risers, drums, guitar and bass amps, sound equipment for classes, special lighting for performances and a 9-foot Steinway concert grand. Directly adjacent to the hall is a loading ramp for equipment.
Merrill Ellis Intermedia Theater
The Merrill Ellis Intermedia Theater (MEIT) is a configurable theater optimized for experimental music, intermedia and performance art. It is the primary performance venue for the Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia (CEMI). The MEIT features a custom computer-controlled 28.3 audio diffusion system, 270-degree wraparound video projection screens, and a full stage lighting system controllable via DMX, MIDI or Ethernet link. A permanent multi-computer audio/video/lighting control station all connected via Dante . CEMI's four project studios include three 9.1 environments, each optimized for a different purpose (video production, audio production/teaching, interactive computer music production/rehearsal, and interdisciplinary general access) and one 2.1 studio.
Organ Recital Hall
The Organ Recital Hall houses a Rieger organ and is used for both organ and early music rehearsals and performances.
Paul Voertman Concert Hall
Recently renovated, Paul Voertman Concert Hall seats 380 persons and is wheelchair accessible. Formerly known as the Concert Hall, the new performance space includes an upgraded mechanical system to reduce noise, multi-layered walls for sound isolation, a control booth, a ticket booth, a Green Room and updated lighting and audio systems. This state-of-the-art space is used for guest artist, faculty and student recitals, chamber music and smaller ensemble concerts.
Recital Hall
The Recital Hall is a 200-seat performance space ideal for small ensemble performance. It includes audio and video technologies that support lecture recitals, large classes and small ensemble performance. The hall also serves as a large-lecture classroom during the day.
Spec’s Charitable Foundation Courtyard
This outdoor space was renovated in 2019 including the addition of the audio, video and performance technology. The courtyard provides students opportunities to gather, study and perform.
Student Computer Lab and Recording Studio
The College of Music student computer lab and recording studio provides students with Apple computers, high-end music applications, productivity software and printers. Resources include recording and post-production studios for academic projects, a piano teaching lab, an instructional technology room, specialized audio and teaching software, as well as an online virtual music lab and laptops for College of Music courses.
The Music Annex consists of more than 20 spaces that serve a variety of needs within the college. This building includes instrument repair shops, piano technical services, several large classrooms, percussion storage and rehearsal spaces, a piano classroom, and offices for both faculty and support staff.
North and South Music Practice
These large practice room facilities provide more than 240 practice rooms that help meet the needs of our students. The rooms include spaces with upright pianos, grand pianos, rooms without pianos, and spaces that are dedicated to the needs of our percussion area. The percussion spaces include rooms that can be rented by individuals to use for practice and storage of their drum sets. Access to these practice spaces is available through our key rental system. The practice buildings are open for extended hours to provide ample time for student practice.
Music Library
The UNT Music Library, one of the largest in the United States, holds more than 350,000
items of music books, periodicals, scores, parts and microforms. It also owns complete
works of more than 200 composers, among them new editions of the works of Bach, Handel,
Berlioz, Mozart and Schoenberg, together with well over 100 special historical collections.
Additionally, the library contains the Ozier Sound Recording Archive of approximately one million recordings in various historical formats.
Bain Hall
Bain Hall houses the offices of a number of teaching fellows and adjuncts who provide
private instruction for UNT College of Music students. The hall also contains percussion
storage and rehearsal spaces.
Other Campus Venues
Students can perform in other venues in addition to the facilities of the College of Music. The UNT Main Auditorium houses a Möller organ and a classical period Bedient organ, and is often used for organ performances. Ensembles perform often at the University Union, providing afternoon and late-night events for UNT students and faculty.