Institute of Sacred Music director Martin Jean has announced a financial commitment of $12 million dollars to the construction of the Living Village in Yale’s Sterling Divinity Quadrangle.
“We have all been inspired by the energy and leadership of Dean Greg Sterling who envisioned this project over a decade ago with the Yale Divinity School faculty. Our part in the project will be realized over a number of years and is made possible due to reserves accumulated during the pandemic and Yale’s recent endowment growth”, Jean said.
The Living Village will be the largest living-building residential complex on a university campus today. The $85 million project will ultimately contain forty-nine separate apartments for Divinity and ISM students. Jean added, “Our alums from the early years of the Institute convey a common refrain; namely, that while the integrative learning achieved in classrooms and rehearsals was invaluable, the real learning happened outside these formal educational environments around a meal, beer night, and informal conversations in the dorms. Our partnership in this project will ensure a number of rooms in this complex will be inhabited by ISM students who will be chosen for their commitment to the ISM’s mission and their ability to lead their peers in building community.”
Dean Sterling commented, “We are thrilled by the ISM’s participation in this project, along with all our donors. One of the unique dimensions of YDS is the presence of the ISM. The guaranteed presence of ISM students in the Living Village will enhance the place of the arts in this residential community and serve as a reminder that a commitment to sustainability is essential for all of us. Thank you for your partnership!”
The Living Village is a significant component of Yale’s Planetary Solutions Initiative, and the ISM’s partnership is indicative of the recently announced initiative in Religion, Ecology and Expressive Culture.
Image: Aerial view of the Living Village in relation to the existing Sterling Divinity Quadrangle. Photo credit: Bruner/Cott Architects.