XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and renowned musician Wynton Marsalis christened the company's brand-new $2 million performance studio Tuesday,
located at XM's Washington, D.C., headquarters.
The studio is meant to draw world-class musicians to perform live on XM's
music stations, as well as to record for later broadcast.
The 1,500-square-foot space can accommodate 50 people or a 40-piece
orchestra.
XM also has 80 smaller studios in Washington where its radio programs
are created and broadcast; four performance studios in New York; and one
performance studio at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tenn.
"This puts the emphasis back on playing and playing live," Marsalis said,
before playing three pieces in front of a live audience at XM headquarters. "The
further you get away from live, the less like music it becomes."
Marsalis is an active member of the "XM Artist Family," and he hosts "Swing
Seat," which airs on XM's jazz channels.
Marsalis, 40, is also artistic director of jazz at New York's Lincoln Center.
He has won nine Grammy Awards in both jazz and classical categories, the
Pulitzer Prize for Music and the George Foster Peabody Award.
