Scheduled to open in 2028, The Muse will extend the Music Academy of the West’s presence from its historic Miraflores campus in Montecito into downtown Santa Barbara. The Muse will feature a flexible performance and rehearsal hall with retractable seating for up to 200 people, state-of-the-art teaching studios and practice spaces, dedicated backstage facilities, a welcoming lounge, and a rooftop terrace centered around an Oculus skylight opening into the hall below. Designed to move seamlessly between education, rehearsal, performance, and gathering, the building will create new opportunities for artists and audiences to connect throughout the year.

“The Muse represents an extraordinary next chapter for the Music Academy and for our community,” said Shauna Quill, President and CEO of Music Academy of the West. “By creating a home for music in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, we are building a place where people of all ages can come together to learn, perform, listen, and connect. The Muse will expand opportunities for young people to discover music while also creating a vibrant year-round gathering place for artists, audiences, families, and community partners. Our hope is that it becomes a place people feel belongs to them — a place where music is part of the everyday life of our community.”

The Muse was made possible by a landmark $20 million gift from Cheryl Goldberg, Music Academy Board member and Founding Contributor to The Muse, honoring the legacy of her late husband, Michael Goldberg. The transformative gift enabled the Music Academy to acquire the prominent property at the corner of State and Canon Perdido Streets and begin realizing the vision for a permanent downtown home.

The Muse will serve both the Music Academy’s educational mission and the broader Santa Barbara community. It will provide a dedicated home for the Academy’s Lehrer Vocal Institute, and offer expanded opportunities for the Academy’s Sing!youth choir, and support artist residencies, rehearsals, performances, lectures, educational programs, and other cultural and civic gatherings throughout the year. The Center will also provide a place for Music Academy alumni, teaching artists, visiting musicians, students, community partners, and audiences to create and experience music together.

Located along one of downtown Santa Barbara’s most visible corridors, The Muse is envisioned not simply as an extension of the Music Academy, but as a cultural resource for the city — bringing music into the daily life of downtown and creating new opportunities for connection among artists, audiences, families, students, and community organizations.

“The Music Academy of the West has been an important part of Santa Barbara’s cultural community for generations, and DSBIA is excited to celebrate this major milestone for the next phase of the institution’s development. Their commitment to advancing the arts in our community is truly inspiring and we can’t wait to see how this new center further contributes to the heartbeat of downtown,” said Robin Elander, Executive Director of DSBIA. “We especially look forward to seeing the new center come to life and how it supports local youth for generations to follow.”