New Corporation Established to Lead Music Hall Renewal

As plans take shape for the restoration and renewal of Music Hall, Greater Cincinnati's historic performing arts center and community gathering space, the Music Hall Working Group (MHWG) announced today the creation of the Music Hall Revitalization Corporation (MHRC), a new organization that will assume leadership of the project.

MHWG comprises leadership from the Cincinnati Arts Association (facility manager); Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestras, Cincinnati Opera, May Festival, and Cincinnati Ballet (resident arts organizations); and the Society for the Preservation of Music Hall.

The Music Hall Revitalization Corporation will lead and coordinate all future plans related to Music Hall redevelopment, including planning, design, construction, communications, and fundraising. The new organization will also collaborate closely with the members of MHWG to build on the momentum of the work that's already been completed. Of paramount importance to the MHRC agenda will be ensuring that Music Hall remains a world-class performance venue and an arts and entertainment anchor for its Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, while continuing to serve the needs of its resident organizations and the Greater Cincinnati community.

"The creation of this separate, focused entity will enable the project to move from the formative, conceptual stage into an implementation stage," said Dudley Taft, chair of the Cincinnati Arts Association Board of Trustees. "The Music Hall Revitalization Corporation will bring the project into action, representing the needs and concerns of all user groups, while ensuring and preserving the acoustic and historic integrity of the hall."

Also announced today was the appointment of Jack Rouse as MHRC's president. Rouse is the retired co-founder and chairman of Jack Rouse Associates, a design and project management firm that serves the entertainment, sports, and museum industries throughout the world. An active community leader, Rouse serves on the boards of the Cincinnati Zoo, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He was also the founding chairman for the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority.

"Jack Rouse has the clarity of vision and leadership skills essential for heading up this effort to revitalize Music Hall," said Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Board Chair Marvin Quin. "He has experience managing complex projects and understands how the arts contribute to the region's vitality. Jack also knows this community."

"It's an honor to be involved in helping guide the revitalization of one of the most important buildings in Cincinnati," said Rouse. "Also, being able to help provide a better performance space for the CSO, Opera, May Festival, and the Ballet, as well as the many other concerts and events that utilize this grand space, is most rewarding."

"But the greatest joy in this new job," he continued, "is being part of creating friendly, warm spaces that welcome diverse audiences to the revitalized Over-the-Rhine. Our overriding objective is to make sure we do this job right, because we will never have the chance to do it again. It is an awesome opportunity of which I'm thrilled to be a part."

As president of MHRC, Rouse will establish a board of trustees for the organization, including representation from the Music Hall Working Group and additional community leadership. In addition, the process is underway to identify a design architect to determine and direct the overall aesthetic impact on the hall, as well as ensure and support the integration and preservation of the hall's historic and acoustic integrity. The design architect will work closely with the existing project team, including:

· Theatre Project Consultants (theatre planning)
· Jaffe Holden Associates (acousticians)
· GBBN Architects
· Messer Construction
· Smith Beers Yunker & Company (fundraising)

About Music Hall
Built in 1878, Music Hall is the home of what is deemed to be one of the best and most beautiful concert theaters in the world. Owned by the City of Cincinnati and managed by the Cincinnati Arts Association, Music Hall hosts nearly 350 events and welcomes more than 250,000 visitors each year. Its resident performing groups include the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestras, May Festival, Cincinnati Opera, and Cincinnati Ballet. The building was recognized as a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior in 1975.

Don't Miss a Cincinnati News Story Sign up for all the news on the Winter season, discounts & more...