(Courtesy of Flicker)
The Dallas City Performance Hall opened its doors for the first time this weekend for its grand opening.
Local artists showcased their talents and broke in the new stage during performances held Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor for the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, said, “Music happens in spaces. This space here is no accident. It is beautiful and we are thankful to create music here.”
The Performance Hall was funded by the public and sits directly across the street from the Booker T. Washington School of the Visual and Performing Arts in downtown Dallas. The idea behind the building was that every place in the arts district houses a specific genre such as opera, dance, and symphony.
“The performance hall was built for everyone else. It will be great for local Dallas artists to showcase their talent here,” said City Performance Hall manager Russell Dyer.
The 59,000 square foot building has an invigorating feel of excitement with its crisp architecture and modern feel. Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) designed the hall as a “village for the arts” after using input from hundreds of local artists to create the building.
The open glass windows surrounding the entire front of the building were strategically placed to put every patron in the building “on stage” as the City Performance Hall is considered an “everyman’s” venue, Dyer said.
Weekend audiences consisted of about 150 to 200 people at each performance. Sunday’s highlights were jazz artist Jason Davis and the W.E. Greiner Middle School Summer Strings.
Alex Bagheri, an eighth grader and elite bassist, performed in the Hall’s open lobby with 16 others of the school’s top string members.
“This venue was great to play in. It has made me excited that I got to be one of the first to play here.”
