Europe's first purpose built music conservatory was officially opened by Minister for Education Mary Hanafin in Cork today.
The six-storey building on the site of the former Cork School of Music cost €68m to develop and will accommodate up to 3,300 music students.
Today's opening follows a ten-year, high-profile campaign by teachers and parents at the oldest municipal music school in Ireland and Britain for a new building.
The project ran into planning and funding difficulties, but it was completed on budget and ahead of schedule by German developer Hochtief under a public-private partnership with the Department of Education.
The conservatory has 54 baby grand pianos, an auditorium for 500 people, a recording studio and over 50 individual teaching rooms.
The partnership company will run the school for 25 years.
