Overview: About the Facility

Decades of dreams and three years of construction became a reality on April 6, 2000 with the dedication of the new Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center at the University of Northern Iowa.

Enabled by the generosity of Cedar Valley residents Ed and Cathy Gallagher and Carl and Peggy Bluedorn, as well as support from the university, the state and over 1,400 donors across Iowa, the new center will be Northeast Iowa's centerpiece for the performing arts and arts education.

The first major center to open in Iowa in twenty years, the $23 million, 100,000 square foot complex features three state-of-the-art concert halls, a soaring glass-walled lobby and dozens of teaching and rehearsal spaces. All three halls have been designed with superb acoustics and intimate sightlines.

The Great Hall also has cutting-edge theatre technology, enabling the center to present artists spanning from chamber ensembles to the biggest Broadway shows.

Hosting more than 300 performances each year, the GBPAC showcases the world's finest artists, ensembles of the UNI School of Music, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony and many other regional events.