The Lower Chapel

The Lower Chapel will feature prominently in our Symposia interactive future music playground activities, as well as serve as chill space during our Saturday evening afterparty.

Located directly underneath The Edythe Bates Old Chapel, this stone cellar is the “yin” to the EBO Chapel’s “yang.” Intimate and atmospheric, it is reminiscent of a small jazz club or Berlin cabaret. Many a Festival Institute August-to-April Concert Series performer as well as Festival Institute students, teachers and conductors have jammed together in this unique venue.

The venue lends itself well to smouldering torch singers, jazz combos, and flamenco stylings.

The Bar is also host to the weekly “Rock’n'Roll Movie Night” showing, presented by Bruce Duval, Director of Outreach and Recording Sessions.

An interesting piece of trivia: Sporting the bowling shirt he wore as “Smokey” in The Big Lebowski, legendary Flatlander Jimmie Dale Gilmore was interviewed here for a short-lived Internet talk show called The Lance Van de Kamp Show.