RIT breaks ground on $74M music performance theater

HENRIETTA, N.Y. — Rochester Institute of Technology broke ground on a new $74 million music performance theater on Wednesday morning.

But why is RIT getting a music performance theater when the school is marketed toward students who are interested in engineering and technology?

Simple — student interest.

“A major reason is I knew I didn’t want to give up music and involvement in the performing arts while I was transitioning to college because I was already dropping a bunch of things … so I knew I needed to keep the performing arts and RIT provided a great opportunity for that,” student Albie Snyder said.

Snyder is a sophomore and has been playing an instrument since he was four. He’s majoring in cyber security but didn’t want to give up on his passion for percussion.

The performing arts center will be three stories tall and more than 40,000 square feet. It will feature a large rehearsal hall, box office, two balconies and 750-seat theater. The project is expected to be done in 2025.