Carnival Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on Biscayne Boulevard close to the historic downtown of Miami, Florida, USA. It is the 2nd largest arts center in the USA, after Lincoln Center in New York.[1]
The Center was partly built on the grounds of the former Sears, Roebuck and Company department store, which was constructed in 1929 and which was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on August 8, 1997. However, by 2001, the only surviving part of the original structure was a seven-story tower, as the rest had been demolished. It was decided to preserve the tower and incorporate it into the new performing arts center. The new Center's grand opening took place on October 5, 2006 with many famous performers, politicians and movie stars, including Gloria Estefan, Jeb Bush, Andy Garcia and Bernadette Peters attending.
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Architecture
Designed by the distinguished architect, Cesar Pelli, the Center occupies 570,000 square feet, straddling both sides of Biscayne Boulevard which are connected by a pedestrian bridge. Acoustics were designed by Russell Johnson of Artec Consultants company. He is mostly known for the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.
Performing arts and other venues
There are two main venues:
- Ziff Ballet Opera House
The Sandford and Delores Ziff Ballet Opera House opened on October 7, 2006 with a Gala and presentations by the two resident organizations, the Miami City Ballet and Florida Grand Opera, which then presented Aida from late October to late November 2006. It seats 2,400.
- Knight Concert Hall
The concert hall seats 2,000. Its stage extends into the audience and there is seating behind the stage for 200 additional spectators or for a chorus. The orchestra level can be transformed into a "Grand Ballroom" for dining and dancing for up to 850 people. While there is no resident orchestra which performs at the Center, the Cleveland Orchestra under its conductor Franz Welser-Most will perform for a three-week period each year, while the New World Symphony Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas plans to present programs. In addition, there are two smaller multi-purpose venues:
- Peacock Rehearsal Studio holds 270 people.
- Studio Theater hold 260 people.
