NEWLY CONSTRUCTED ORION AMPHITHEATER IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA DESIGNED BY DAVID M. SCHWARZ ARCHITECTS PREPARES FOR THE FIRST WALTZ, GRAND OPENING CONCERT

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. , May 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The $46M newly constructed Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, AL, designed by David M. Schwarz Architects (DMSAS), will celebrate its First Waltz Grand Opening weekend May 13-15^th 2022. The opening will be marked by a landmark, in-person social event featuring many of music's most beloved artists, such as The Aeolians of Oakwood University, Brittany Howard, Drive-by Truckers, Element XI, Emmylou Harris, Huntsville Community Drumline, Jason Isbell, and the 400 Unit, John Paul While, Kelvin Wooten & Deqn Sue, Mavis Staples, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, the N.E.I.G.H.B.O.R.S., Translee and Waxahatchee. The event will finish on Sunday with a special performance from Huntsville's own vibrant musical community hosted by Melody Shari and Dante Pride.

The project, a vision of Mumford & Sons' Ben Lovett in partnership with Huntsville Venue Group, is a 175,000 square foot, 8,000 seat Amphitheater designed to be a major attraction for preeminent artists and entertainers with state-of-the-art front of house, performance, and artist support facilities. The city-owned facility will also host a variety of locally-based programming, and it will be available to the community for farmer's markets, festivals, graduations, and other public gatherings 365 days out of the year.

"More than an amphitheater, this facility will help us grow our music and culture economy. It will allow us to become a community of curators, where we can develop our own creative content that is unique to Huntsville that we can share globally. In addition to arts festivals, markets, and world-famous musicians, we'll be able to incubate our own talent, showing that our next great entrepreneurs don't all have to be in space and missile defense."- HUNTSVILLE MAYOR TOMMY BATTLE

Amphitheater Design The elevated bowl features a pronounced rake, like Red Rocks, to bring fans and performers closer together with unobstructed sightlines. The horseshoe-shaped stepped seating bowl wraps a flat pit area directly in front of the stage. The upper rear of the bowl is capped with a wide columned porch for VIP seating and amenities. The bowl is served by 2 levels of concourses outfitted with generous circulation areas, ample public restrooms, and upscale food and beverage services. The main concourse is on center with the bowl and features a double-height area that will serve as the main entrance and exit for patrons.

The exterior features arcades punctuated by monumental stair towers. The architecturally prominent stage house will be visible to nearby MidCity. All artist areas will have connectivity to the outdoors with porches and terraces, and good access to the amphitheater's park-like setting. The entire structure is rendered in a timeless aesthetic with refined architectural detailing.

About DMSAS. David M Schwarz Architects (DMSAS), the Design Architect for the Orion Amphitheater, was founded by Driehaus Prize Laureate David Schwarz in 1978. The firm sees architecture as an art and a service. The Washington, D.C.-based firm is known for creating beautifully crafted buildings that appropriately respond to their context, encourage civic engagement, and are embraced by their users and the larger community. DMSAS has designed many notable projects nationwide including The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas; Sundance Square in Ft. Worth, Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville; Cook Children's Medical Center in Ft. Worth, Nancy Lee & Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth and Gaillard Center in Charleston.

In Addition to David M. Schwarz Architects the project team included Matheny Goldmon as Architect of Record, Schuler Shook as Theater Planner, and Hawkins Partners as Landscape Architect.

Principal Steve Knight is available to discuss the project in more detail. For further information, please contact Alana Alsop at DMSAS at 202-862-0777 or via email at [email protected].

SOURCE David M. Schwarz Architects