Denison’s downtown studio celebrates grand opening

DENISON, Texas (KXII) — A local recording studio is celebrating an upgrade and renovation right in the heart of what Texas calls one of its most music-friendly cities.

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” said Tony Giarraputo, owner of Split Windows Studios. “It was a dream of ours, you know, Chris and I, to have such a nice facility.”

Tuesday’s grand opening lasted almost 15 years for the studios.

“It’s kind of like a full circle, coming together,” said Chris Romain, owner of Split Windows Studios.

The journey to grand opening was even longer for the original designer, who said he created the space in the 1970s for the Pollaro brothers.

“These guys came in here and really freshened things up,” said Russ Berger, president of Russ Berger Design Group. “I mean, it’s amazing. All the original wood here, the glass, the doors, they have a nice big shiny console. It just couldn’t make me happier that he had a new life.

New upgrades include an updated map and an LED movie studio.

“It just gives the Arts District, especially the City of Denison and Grayson County as a whole, another powerful arm of awareness to say, ‘Look, we’ve got everything you need here,'” said Jason Smith, co-owner of Overdrive Entertainment and Smoke Signal Productions, who works with Split Windows Studios to produce the Music on Main series.

As long as it took to finish putting it all together, the studio hopes its impact on local artists will last even longer.

“It’s really a great outlet for younger generations to come and say ‘hey, this is a place where I might want to work, this is a field I want to go to’” , said Roman.

And he is looking for a new opportunity for the creators of Texoma.

“When people walk into a space and it inspires them to sing and play and create, that’s what I hope for the most,” Berger said.

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