Bass Performance Hall

The Bass Performance Hall (also known as Bass Hall) is a performing arts venue, located in Fort Worth, Texas.

Bass Performance Hall

Exterior view of venue (c.2006)
Full name	Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall
Address	525 Commerce St Fort Worth, TX 76102-5440
Location	Downtown Fort Worth
Owner	Performing Arts Fort Worth, Inc.
Operator	Performing Arts Fort Worth, Inc.
Capacity	2,042 (Founders Concert Theater)
Construction
Broke ground	April 1995 (1995-04)
Opened	May 1, 1998 (1998-05-01)
Construction cost	$65 million ($130 million in 2023 dollars[1])
Architect	Schwarz Architects HKS Architects
Project manager	Fisher Dachs Associates
Structural engineer	Moore and Associates
General contractor	Linbeck Construction
Tenants
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (1998-present) Fort Worth Opera (1998-present) Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (2001-present) Texas Ballet Theater (2003-present)
Website
Venue Website

Overview

Facade of the building at night.

The hall was first suggested by pianist Van Cliburn to philanthropist Nancy Lee Bass and her husband, Perry Richardson Bass.^[2][3]

It was built with limestone and designed by David M. Schwarz of Architectural Services, Inc. in 1998.^[4] An 80-foot-diameter (24 m) dome, painted by Scott and Stuart Gentling, tops the Founders Concert Theater. The façade features two 48-foot-tall (15 m) angels sculpted by Marton Varo from Texas limestone.^[5]

It seats 2,056 people. Built as a multi-purpose facility, the Hall is able to house symphony, ballet, opera, stage, musicals, and rock concerts.^[6] It is also now the permanent home to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and Cliburn Concerts. Performing Arts Fort Worth, which manages the Hall, also hosts its own performances here, including national touring Broadway productions and a family series.

In 2001, the adjacent Maddox-Muse Center officially opened; and with it, the new Van Cliburn Recital Hall and the McDavid Studio with 220 seats (renamed in 2006 from McNair Rehearsal Studio). Also housed within Maddox-Muse Center are offices for Performing Arts Fort Worth, the non-profit organization that oversees management of the Hall, and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

Fleetwood Mac guitarist/vocalist Lindsey Buckingham's performance at the hall on January 27, 2007 was recorded on his live album, Live at the Bass Performance Hall, which was released a year later on March 25, 2008.

See also

• List of concert halls

External links

• Bass Performance Hall official website
• The Angels of Bass Performance Hall - North Texas Explorer

References

1. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
2. Steve Campbell, Nancy Lee Bass was the "first lady of Fort Worth", Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 1, 2013
3. Nancy Lee Bass dies at 95 Archived 2014-11-08 at the Wayback Machine, WFAA, March 1, 2013
4. Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall Archived 2014-11-08 at the Wayback Machine, Michelin Guide
5. Marton Varo: Public gallery
6. Architecture in Fort Worth: Bass Hall

32.75492°N 97.33001°W / 32.75492; -97.33001