Sonoma State Venues Get Help

Sanford “Sandy” Weill – former CEO of Citigroup – and wife Joan, both classical music lovers, have donated $12 million to Sonoma State University in California for the construction of two music venues.

The contribution will help complete a 1,400-seat concert hall and adjacent grounds. It will also be used to build a 10,000-capacity amphitheatre, the school said in an announcement. Joan Weill told Santa Rosa’s Press-Democrat the concert hall will be “a little better” than Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home, Tanglewood.

The concert hall broke ground in 1997. Since then, costs reportedly grew tenfold to about $120 million and the uncompleted venue has been a source of criticism by some faculty that say it has diverted money and attention from academics.