Booth Hall Renovation

Occidental College is investing in the next century of music excellence with a transformative renovation of Booth Hall to create state-of-the-art facilities where music students and faculty will learn, practice and perform.

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As the Occidental music department celebrates its 100th anniversary, it proudly offers an education that is distinct among liberal arts colleges, thanks to recent curricular expansions, capital improvements, and deep connections with the music community in Los Angeles. 

Spring 2026 marked the beginning of the next chapter for the music department, with the groundbreaking of ambitious renovations to Booth Hall. The reimagined design of Booth Hall is spearheaded by renowned architect Peter Grueneisen of nonzero\architecture, who designed the Choi Family Music Production Center and has worked with clients such as Hans Zimmer and DreamWorks.

Professor David Kasunic

“The renovations to Booth Hall will transform the experience for our students, creating the technologically sophisticated teaching and rehearsal spaces that students and faculty have longed for for years.”

David Kasunic
Director, John Branca Institute for Music; Professor, Music

To support this top College priority, contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at giving@oxy.edu or call (323) 341-4OXY.

Construction to the second floor of Booth Hall will include:

Architect's rendering of a multipurpose classroom space and soundstage with high ceilings

A multipurpose classroom and rehearsal space that will also serve as the premiere event space for the John Branca Institute of Music and music department. The space has the capacity to include a state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos system with philanthropic support. 

Architect's rendering of a multipurpose classroom space and soundstage with high ceilings

A multipurpose classroom space to serve as a sound stage where ensembles like the Oxy Glee Club, Orchestra, and Jazz Ensemble can record their music directly into the Choi Family Music Production Center and have it engineered and produced by Oxy students as part of their coursework. 

Crucially, the number of practice rooms will more than double, increasing the total available spaces from six to fourteen.

Kawena Jacobs headshot

“It's amazing to have people that have worked in the industry as our faculty. It makes the industry feel a little less scary and a little less impossible to break into. Seeing the program grow through donor support has been a really big deal for me.”

Kawena Jacobs ’26
Music production major
An Occidental music production student in a classroom with music industry professionals, talking
Kawena Jacobs ’26 in the Choi Family Music Production Center discussing her work with a panel of music industry professionals. The panel included Michael Lloyd, Oxy's Linda and Mike Curb Visiting Fellow; Rob Chiarelli, CEO at Final Mix, Inc.; Michael Laskow, Founder & CEO, TAXI.com; Sonya Kolowrat, Director Of Catalog, Beggars Group US. Photo by Marc Campos.
John Branca in a collared shirt and blazer in his office

The John Branca Institute for Music

Established in 2024, the John Branca Institute for Music strengthens Occidental’s standing. Dedicated to the study of popular music and the music industry, the Branca Institute enhances the department’s offerings with new courses in production, audio engineering, songwriting, film composition, and music business and capital improvements.

Explore the institute
Mike Curb close-up headshot

A Top Music Business School

Named by Billboard magazine in 2025 as a Top Music Business School for the sixth consecutive year, Occidental is bridging academic inquiry with music industry engagement and welcoming renowned music professionals into the classroom through programmatic investments like the Mike Curb Endowed Program in Popular Music History and the Linda and Mike Curb Visiting Fellowship.

  • A multipurpose classroom and rehearsal space will also serve as the premiere event space for the John Branca Institute for Music and music department. The space has the capacity to include a state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos system with philanthropic support.

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  • Renowned music producer and songwriter Michael Lloyd, the Linda and Mike Curb Visiting Fellow, works with Max Foreman, director of the Choi Family Music Production Center & resident assistant professor of music, and his class in MUSC 249 "Recording Techniques" in the Choi Family Music Production Center

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  • Renovations will include a multipurpose classroom space to serve as a sound stage where ensembles like the Oxy Glee Club, Orchestra, and Jazz Ensemble can record and have their music engineered and produced by Oxy students as part of their coursework.

    3/5

  • Occidental students and staff performing on stage at Thorne Hall to celebrate the inauguration of the John Branca Institute for Music in October 2024.

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  • The first point of entry to the John Branca Institute for Music will include digital displays promoting upcoming concerts, events, programs and opportunities, serving as a central hub for music majors and faculty to engage with all the Branca Institute has to offer.

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Photos by Marc Campos. Renderings courtesy nonzero\architecture.

Contact Institutional Advancement
AGC Administrative Center 100

Occidental College
1600 Campus Road M-36
Los Angeles, CA 90041

Phone: (323) 341-4OXY
giving@oxy.edu

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