CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS.- Kent Ullberg's sculpture, "Danzamar," which graces the atrium of the new state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, was dedicated this Sunday, April 10 at 3:00 p.m. Danzamar is Spanish for "sea dancer," and the piece blends elements of music, the performing arts, ballet and folklorico dance and the ocean, and features a dancer's flowing skirt that suggests a sea shell. The Amy Shelton McNutt Charitable Trust commissioned the piece in appreciation of the university's impact on the community, and donated $100,000 to the university for the sculpture.

On Saturday, April 16, world-renowned pianist Van Cliburn will perform for the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra's Inaugural Benefit Concert, in just his second appearance in the city since 1970, and in a rare appearance for a venue so intimate. The festivities will include an opening reception and a dinner. Van Cliburn will be presented with an Ullberg sculpture of three leaping dolphins called "Water Music." Proceeds from the concert will be used for scholarships for students and an endowment fund for future Art and Music programs. For tickets or information, call 361-833-6683, 1-877-286-6683 or visit www.ccsymphony.org

The newly opened $18 million, 1,500 seat concert hall will be home to the university's music programs and performing groups, and will also be the home of the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra for the next five years. The center was designed by Gordon Landreth of Cotton Landreth Kramer Architects, Inc., and features a concert stage that can expand to hold 85 musicians, 180-degree seating and a technologically advanced sound system. Jaffe Holden Acoustics, which worked on Fort Worth's Bass Hall, was consulted, along with New York design firm Hardy, Holzman, Pfeiffer Architects and theater consultants Fisher Dachs Associates. The 50-foot glass-walled atrium where Danzamar is placed faces Ocean Drive and overlooks Corpus Christi Bay and the city’s skyline.