Information
Landmark: Miller Symphony HallCity: Allentown
Country: USA Pennsylvania
Continent: North America
Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown, USA Pennsylvania, North America
Overview
When it opened in 1896 as the 2,400-seat Lyric Theatre, the building rang with vaudeville acts, traveling opera companies, and the flicker of silent films.In 1926, the renovation brought in a gleaming gilded proscenium, a Kimball three‑manual pipe organ, and Italian‑marble lobby walls that still greet visitors with their cool, polished touch.In 1951, when the Allentown Symphony Orchestra made the theater its permanent home, workers pushed the stage back and removed some seats so the view was clear from every row.From 1988 to 1991, a steel stagehouse rose behind the hall, its new roof keeping the rain out-and saving the building from demolition.From 2000 to 2005, crews overhauled the building with modern HVAC, fiber-optic lines, and a nine-panel mahogany acoustical shell, all while bringing back the crisp lines of its historic plasterwork.In 2012, following a landmark gift, the venue took on the name Miller Symphony Hall, with room for 1,103 fixed seats and sixteen spots for wheelchairs, their metal frames gleaming under the stage lights.The auditorium’s architecture and acoustics form a steep horseshoe, with orchestra rows A through Q curving beneath a mezzanine and balcony that shoot upward, letting even the back row catch sight of the stage floor’s edge.Maple paneling lines the lower walls, warm and smooth to the touch, while above, gilded plaster muses catch the light beneath a high, coffered ceiling.In an empty house, the mid‑band echo lingers for 1.8 seconds-a warm, spacious sound perfect for symphonic music.Motorized velvet banners glide down from the overhead grid, cutting the decay to 1.3 seconds-perfect for amplified jazz, driving rock, or a film with a live score.The balcony overhang starts just behind orchestra row O, so rows G to K give you the most even, natural blend; for shows with the flown line-array system, grab a seat along the first balcony rail where the sound is clear and full.The proscenium stretches forty-four feet across and rises thirty-four feet high, framing a maple sprung deck with lines etched every six inches.The double-purchase counterweight system supports forty-two linesets, each built to handle 1,500 pounds-enough to fly in towering Broadway flats or the weight of a full set of gleaming choral risers.The air-lift orchestra pit can rise to meet the stage or drop two meters, leaving room for seventy musicians and the gleam of polished brass.Fiber tie-lines and Dante network points deliver sixty-four audio channels to the control room and to the Rodale Community Room, a 180-seat black-box space where jazz fills the air on weekend nights and students gather for workshops.The 1926 Kimball organ, tuned to A‑440, glides forward on air casters when it’s time to bring a silent film to life.The Allentown Symphony Orchestra fills its season with five classical weekends, two lively pops shows, a spooky Halloween silent-film gala, and December’s warm, bustling community “Messiah” sing‑along.On Friday nights, the community room comes alive with chamber music and smooth jazz, while the main stage hosts a changing lineup-Broadway revivals on tour, graceful ballet, sharp-witted comedians, and films backed by a full orchestra.They offer an El Sistema–style after-school string program, a summer StageTech internship where high school students learn rigging and lighting, and free “Bach at Lunch” recitals every third Wednesday-often with the scent of fresh coffee drifting in from the lobby.Planning a visit?The box office is open Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from noon to 4, and it lights up two hours before the curtain rises.Dynamic pricing sells prime orchestra seats at market rates, but just half an hour before curtain, it lets students and teachers grab balcony rush tickets for ten bucks.Visitors step in from the street into a cool marble lobby, where sunlight spills through a stained-glass skylight and twin brass staircases rise in graceful curves.Two lobby bars pour local craft beer, wine, and rich espresso, and you can scan a QR code to order ahead for a quick pickup during intermission.The hall’s easy to navigate, with an induction hearing loop, an elevator that reaches every tier, and programs in large print or Braille if you ask.The 600-car garage on Sixth Street charges a flat six-dollar event fee, and curbside drop-off spots wait right in front of the brightly lit marquee for guests with mobility needs.The free coat check shuts down half an hour after the encore, so grab your things-your scarf, maybe-before you wander off to enjoy the night downtown.Here’s a tip: get there fifteen minutes early so you can take in the glow of the Tiffany-style wall sconces and catch the soft warm-up notes floating out from behind the curtain.Bring a light jacket-the room stays at a steady 21 °C all year to keep the organ and plaster safe, and you might feel a faint chill in the air.When your event lands on the same night as an arena game just two blocks away, skip Sixth Street after the show and head out via Turner Street instead-you’ll dodge the bumper-to-bumper crawl.Finally, plenty of nearby restaurants offer “symphony supper” deals-flash your ticket stub and settle in for a post-concert meal, maybe with the scent of fresh bread still warm from the oven.
