FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THIRD COAST MUSIC LAUNCHES “SCORING FOR CHICAGO” CAMPAIGN TO BUILD THE MIDWEST’S PREMIER CREATIVE MUSIC CAMPUS

CHICAGO, IL — Third Coast Music has announced the launch of its Scoring for Chicago campaign, a transformative initiative to develop the Midwest’s premier Creative Music Campus at 41st and Halsted on Chicago’s South Side. The campaign will officially kick off during the Scoring for Chicago Summer Benefit on July 16 at DePaul University’s Holtschneider Performance Center.

 

Designed to become a national destination for music, film, television, gaming, education, and creative entrepreneurship, the campus will feature the Midwest’s first dedicated scoring stage alongside audio post-production facilities, smaller recording studio, immersive mixing room, production suites, learning center, performance venue, and collaborative creative spaces.

 

The project addresses a significant gap in the Midwest’s entertainment infrastructure. Although Illinois’ film and television industry generates more than $700 million annually in economic activity, the region currently lacks a space to record the music and handle the audio post-production for these projects.

 

”Our vision extends far beyond constructing a recording facility,” said Third Coast Music Directors Susan Chatman, Katherine Hughes, and Rich Daniels.  They are creating a Creative Music Campus where education, professional production, innovation, entrepreneurship, and community come together. This is an investment in Chicago’s future, one that creates opportunities for students, musicians, composers, creative professionals, and neighborhoods while strengthening the city’s position as a global center for music and media production.

 

At the heart of the project is a commitment to education and workforce development. The campus will provide students and emerging professionals with hands-on experience inside a working production environment, offering pathways from middle school and high school through college, internships, apprenticeships, professional mentoring, and employment. 

 

In addition to serving the entertainment industry, the campus will embrace new opportunities in experiential marketing through IRL (In Real Life) brand activation. Companies, artists, and technology partners will be able to develop immersive experiences that combine music, storytelling, gaming, sports, and interactive technology, creating year-round programming while attracting visitors and supporting Chicago’s growing creative economy.

 

Third Coast Music also envisions the campus as a center for music therapy. Through partnerships with healthcare organizations, future initiatives may explore music therapy, veteran programs, children’s health, senior wellness, trauma recovery, memory care, and research into music’s impact on cognitive and emotional well-being.

 

Beyond its professional facilities, the campus will serve as a community destination with public performances, educational workshops, film screenings, entrepreneurship programs, neighborhood festivals, and cultural events that celebrate Chicago’s rich musical heritage while creating new opportunities for residents of all ages.

 

The project has already received significant civic support. Third Coast Music has been conditionally awarded the historic Stock Yards Bank Building and an adjacent development site by the City of Chicago, providing the foundation for a campus that will preserve an important landmark while creating a new center for creativity, innovation, and economic development on the South Side.

 

The Scoring for Chicago Summer Benefit will introduce guests to the vision through live performances, presentations, and immersive demonstrations showcasing the power of music for film, television, and emerging media. The evening will also provide opportunities for supporters to become founding partners in the campaign.

“Chicago has always been one of the world’s great music cities,” the directors added. “Our goal is to build a recording infrastructure that allows future generations to learn here, work here, innovate here, and build their careers here.”

 

For more information about the Scoring for Chicago campaign, sponsorship opportunities, tickets, or to make a tax-deductible contribution, visit www.thirdcoastmusic.org.

 

About Third Coast Music

Third Coast Music is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the region’s creative economy through professional music production, education, workforce development, and community engagement. The organization is leading the development of the Midwest’s premier Creative Music Campus, bringing together world-class production facilities, a comprehensive learning center, and innovative programming that supports musicians, composers, students, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals while expanding opportunities throughout Chicago’s South Side.

 

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