When you tune in to your 24-hour Classical Connection for that Chopin prelude or NPR news brief at the end of this month, your favorite programming will be broadcasted from WAUS 90.7FM's new studios located in the Howard Performing Arts Center.

WAUS has come a long way since its 1920 beginnings in radio amateur John Fetzer's Lafayette, Ind. home. In 1921, Andrews University, then Emmanuel Missionary College, invited Fetzer to transfer his wireless equipment to Berrien Springs, Mich., where he went on the air with the callsign 8AZ. Dubbed "The Radio Lighthouse," the station achieved notoriety during the late twenties, once listed as one of the U.S.'s ten best radio stations and frequently listened to in Europe, Australia, Hawaii, and even New Zealand. After Great Depression era transitions and the emergence of a new non-commercial FM station championed by the Whirlpool Corporation's Robert E. Upton in the '60s, the radio station WAUS signed on in January of 1971 and was stationed in the basement of the Campus Center. During the fall of 2005, new studios were completed at the Howard Performing Arts Center in anticipation of the radio station's long overdue vertical progression--from the basement of the Campus Center to a brighter location.

To celebrate WAUS 90.7FM's move to the Howard Performing Arts Center, all university and community members are cordially invited to celebrate the grand opening of its new studios by attending an open house on Sunday, January 22, 2006, from 2-4 pm. Enjoy live music, a tour of the brand-new studios and the Howard Center, and take advantage of this opportunity to meet your favorite WAUS announcers. At 4 pm, you will be invited to move into the performance hall for a musical concert featuring the Andrews University Department of Music and the St. Joseph High School Orchestra. Then, at 5 pm, refreshments will accompany the ribbon cutting and reception in culmination of the celebration.

The studios' relocation might not be directly proportional to an increase in the brightness of that Vivaldi violin concerto you listen to on the morning commute, but WAUS staff members and generous contributors alike will benefit by the studios' relocation. Of the move, WAUS manager Sharon Dudgeon says, "We're so pleased about our new home in the Howard Performing Arts Center. Our new location," Dudgeon continues, "allows us to be more accessible to the community while continuing to offer quality classical music in the Michiana listening area."

All events are free and open to the public.