Muse in the Making 

“Years from now, I hope people will have their own stories about this building,” said Cheryl Goldberg, founding contributor to The Muse, and Music Academy of the West board member.

From fashion to fortissimo! The former Forever 21 at 901 State Street is getting a $55 million cultural makeover. The Academy celebrated the groundbreaking of its new downtown music education center with champagne, performances, and plenty of polished shovels.

Goldberg’s landmark $20 million gift, honoring her late husband, Michael Goldberg, helped the Academy acquire the property. President and CEO Shauna Quill welcomed guests, joined by board chair Danner Schefler, campaign chair Todd Yancey, and Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association Executive Director Robin Elander.

The civic contingent included Santa Barbara County Supervisors Roy Lee and Joan Hartmann, City Councilmembers Kristen Sneddon and Eric Friedman, and County Office of Arts & Culture Executive Director Sarah York Rubin.

Also spotted were Academy board member Bob Boghosian and Beth Gates Warren, Joan and Tim Swift, patron Mashey Bernstein, and emeritus board member Paul Guido.

Baritone and Academy alum Byron J. Mayes, accompanied by pianist Alvise Pascucci, filled the former retail space with Rossini’s “Largo al factotum,” while members of the Sing! Youth Choir, directed by Erin McKibben, performed “Be Like the Bird.”

Designed by Lawrence Scarpa, the nearly 20,000-square-foot center will feature a 200-seat performance hall, teaching studios, rehearsal spaces, and a rooftop terrace. Opening is anticipated in 2028.

For a school long known for Montecito’s musical excellence, The Muse promises a new stage downtown – where today’s groundbreaking may become tomorrow’s standing ovation.