Photo By Peter Chaffetz

Ellen Battell Stoeckel Trustees Anne-Marie Soullière and David Low joined Yale  University President Peter Salovey (right) in breaking ground for two projects that will bring critical enhancements to the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival campus. In very short order—completion is scheduled for May 2023—the Music Shed Annex will be replaced with a new facility with rehearsal spaces, and Eldridge Barn will be converted from practice rooms to student housing. Fundraising for the $8.5 million renovation project is being led by the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Trust, Yale School of Music and generous donors. The Music Shed renovation will also include installation of an air-cooling system, upgraded recording capabilities, the relocation of restrooms and a new green room.

“For Ellen Battell Stoeckel,” Yale School of Music Dean Robert Blocker said at the groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 16, “music and beauty helped sustain humanity and civility. This project…is a living realization of her intentions for the physical facilities of the estate and the enrichment of lives through performances and programs.”