UConn Firsts: The First Concert at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts

Picture the scene: women in elegant party dresses and men in tuxedos are ushering patrons from a pink, marbled lobby into a concert hall with neat rows of plush, velvet seats for a performance of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It was Dec. 6, 1955, and what was then called Jorgensen Auditorium, a dream 15 years in the making, was finally a reality. Named for UConn’s longest-serving president, Albert Jorgensen, the facility has hosted commencement ceremonies, gubernatorial debates, hip hop concerts, standup comedians, and countless other cultural events that have enriched the lives of students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Today, Jorgensen presents 25-30 acclaimed artists every year, attracting more than 70,000 patrons every season. Also the home of the Jorgensen Gallery and the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, in the years since that first brisk night, the cultural center has become as much a part of UConn’s history and heritage as its presidential namesake.

Latest UConn Today
- UConn Entrepreneur Aims to Revolutionize Men’s Health CareReza Amin’s Bastion Health creates virtual, confidential, progressive approach to medical screening to help save lives
- UConn’s Sir Cato T. Laurencin Recognized as Springer Nature Editor of DistinctionSir Cato T. Laurencin, MD, Ph.D., K.C.S.L, has received a 2025 Springer Nature Editor of Distinction Award. The award is given to exceptional editors who have demonstrated commitment to upholding scientific accuracy and advancing discovery.
- UConn Health Minute: Two Lives, One TeamAn expectant mom learned she suffered a life-threatening condition. But the high risk pregnancy team at UConn Health had the expertise to keep mom safe as she delivered a healthy baby.
- Overcoming Engineering Challenges Was No Problem for This Student TeamA joint mechanical and electrical and computer engineering Senior Design team tackled various problems in the midst of an electric boat competition
- Beautiful Moments: SFA Alum Brings Smiles to Bridal Couples with Live Event PaintingWhen Erin Leigh Boughamer '94 (SFA) left UConn three decades ago with a degree in graphic design from the School of Fine Arts, event painting hadn’t yet become part of bridal vocabulary. To ask her back then if she foresaw herself with a wardrobe of dressy pantsuits, each with at least a little dollop of acrylic paint on them, she’d have said no way
- Kumar Venkitanarayanan Named Interim Dean of UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural ResourcesVenkitanarayanan is a leader in the field of egg and poultry meat safety and has served in several leadership roles within the University