Ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for Music Therapy facilities

Donors, alumni and community members to attend on Friday, October 20th

Marietta, Ohio (10/13/2017) — Ten months after receiving a generous $1 million gift from Don '81 and Leslie Straub Ritter '85, Marietta College is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the renovated Music Therapy facilities and recording studio at 4:30 p.m., Friday, October 20th.

The facilities are located in McKinney Hall are part of the Edward E. MacTaggart Department of Music, an accredited music department by the National Association of Music Schools (NASM).

The formal ribbon cutting ceremony will be conducted by the Marietta Chamber of Commerce. There will also be remarks from Marietta President Dr. William N. Ruud, the Ritters, Music Department Chairman Marshall C. Kimball and Assistant Professor of Music Dr. Yadira Albornoz, who is also Director of the Music Therapy program.

Music will be performed by the Marietta College Pio Pep Band before the ceremony. The 30-minute program will include recognition of individuals involved in the program and construction process, special recognition of the donors and comments on music therapy.

Following the ribbon cutting, tours will be given of the music therapy facilities and the state-of-the-art recording studio. The Music Department will also host open houses in the Hermann Fine Arts Center, where updates have been done, and new Steinway pianos donated by Don and Leslie Ritter will be on display. The Band Rehearsal Hall will also host an open house with an explanation of Phase 2 of the renovation project that will take place during this summer. Light refreshments will also be served.

The open houses at Hermann Fine Arts Center and the Band Rehearsal Hall will be from 5-6 p.m.

Located in Marietta, Ohio, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, Marietta College is a four-year liberal arts college. Tracing its roots to the Muskingum Academy begun in 1797, the College was officially chartered in 1835. Today Marietta College serves a body of 1,200 full-time students. The College offers 45 majors and has been listed among Barron's Best Buys in College Education and Peterson's Competitive Colleges, and has been recognized as one of the top regional comprehensive colleges by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, as well as one of the nation's best by Forbes.com.

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