Category:Miller Symphony Hall
concert hall in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States | |||||
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Location | Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania | ||||
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Miller Symphony Hall is the oldest performing theater in Allentown, opening on 10 October 1899. It's heritage dates back to 1817 when Northampton Town got its first farmer's market on Center Square. It was a wood and stone building. In 1848, that building was consumed by fire when most of the Allentown Central Business District burned. It was rebuilt in 1859 at the corner of Church Street and Linden. In 1896, a new Central Market was built at the northeast corner of Sixth and Court Streets. However, it was not an economic success.
Shortly after its opening, the market began to host concerts and in 1899, the firm of J.B. McElfatrick converted the structure to a theater. The name, Lyric Theater, came about through a contest, with a five dollar gold piece as prize for the best submission. It also served to replace the former Academy of Music at North Sixth and Linden Street, which burned down in 1901. The Lyric opened with a comic opera production based on the life of 18th century Prussian King Frederick the Great. The theater offered vaudeville, operas, plays, dramatic skits, minstrel shows and concerts. Beginning in 1917, to help entertain the many Army Ambulance Corps troops training at Camp Crane, the theater began to show silent feature films as part of their presentations as well as the occasional boxing match. These were extremely popular, and they continued after the war ended. However the theater remained focused on live plays and various music performances with only the occasional film or sports presentation.
With the beginning of the television era around 1950, the Lyric, along with other theaters saw their attendance decline sharply, and the theater subsequently began to lose money. Several of the large theaters in downtown Allentown closed in the early 1950s, and it appeared the Lyric would join in their demise. Its owners, I. Hirst Enterprises, Inc. planned to close the theater and sell the property to Park and Shop, who were planning to tear down the theater and use the space for a parking lot. Donald and Sam Miller, the owners of The Morning Call newspaper, offered to buy the theater from Hirst Enterprises. The Millers proposed a plan on June 2, 1959, to the Allentown Symphony Association to purchase the building for the orchestra as a concert hall. They secured financing with the First National Bank of Allentown for the purchase which they completed on July 14, 1959. Later, the building was renamed Allentown Symphony Hall.
Donald Voorhees was the first musical director and conductor of the Allentown Symphony from 1951 - 1983. He was also the orchestra conductor for the radio/TV show, The Bell Telephone Hour in New York. The guests planned for the Bell Telephone Hour would often first come to Allentown to perform with the orchestra and Voorhees before heading to New York. As a result Allentown had many famous musicians perform first at the Lyric Theater, and later, Symphony Hall. The next conductor was William Smith, who was the Associate Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 1995 Diane Wittry became the Musical Director and Conductor. She greatly improved the orchestra, to the point of winning a national award. The orchestra performs classical, pops and educational outreach programs. Jazz Cabernets are held each month on the 3rd floor in an intimate atmosphere, and the hall is used for many other types of events.
Over its lifetime, the theater has been renovated many times but the interior has basically kept its Victorian character and appearance. In recognition and appreciation for the Miller family, November 10, 2012, the Board of the Allentown Symphony Association changed the name to Miller Symphony Hall.
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Media in category "Miller Symphony Hall"
The following 67 files are in this category, out of 67 total.
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1893 - Central Market Company - 29 Aug MC - Allentown PA.jpg 492 × 1,037; 111 KB
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1893 - Central Market Hall - 26 Sep MC - Allentown PA.jpg 480 × 2,260; 185 KB
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1899 - Lyric Theater Construction.pdf 820 × 1,064; 1.67 MB
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1899 - Lyric Theater Opening.jpg 503 × 1,151; 98 KB
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1900 - Lyric Theater - Advertisement.jpg 1,206 × 1,013; 437 KB
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1959 - Miller Symphony Hall - 14 Jun MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,221 × 2,149; 494 KB
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1959 - Miller Symphony Hall - 22 Nov MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,245 × 1,289; 305 KB
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1959 - Symphony Hall - 28 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 2,486 × 3,242; 1.06 MB
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1960 - Miller Symphony Hall - 24 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,245 × 1,809; 369 KB
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1960 - Miller Symphony Hall - 25 Jan MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,221 × 1,821; 428 KB
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1960 - Symphony Hall - 18 Sep MC - Allentown PA.jpg 808 × 2,747; 522 KB
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1960 - Symphony Hall - 19 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,676 × 2,631; 531 KB
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1960 - Symphony Hall - 20 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,267 × 1,508; 385 KB
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1960 - Symphony Hall - 26 Jun MC - Allentown PA.jpg 461 × 1,385; 135 KB
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1961 - Miller Symphony Hall - 8 Oct MC - Allentown PA.jpg 825 × 1,005; 136 KB
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1961 - Symphony Hall - 4 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,245 × 1,601; 287 KB
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1962 - Miller Symphony Hall - 29 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 804 × 674; 117 KB
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1962 - Symphony Hall - 23 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 3,261 × 4,831; 2.1 MB
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1963 - Miller Symphony Hall - 1 Aor MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,626 × 3,877; 879 KB
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1963 - Miller Symphony Hall - 24 Feb MC - Allentown PA.jpg 824 × 1,285; 206 KB
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1963 - Symphony Hall - 15 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 2,064 × 3,121; 1,020 KB
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1964 - Elsa Ostroff - 19 Jun MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,051 × 1,661; 257 KB
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1964 - Miller Symphony Hall - 9 Dec MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,680 × 1,116; 270 KB
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1964 - Symphony Hall - 1 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 3,391 × 1,068; 495 KB
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1965 - Miller Symphony Hall - 21 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 3,213 × 1,495; 956 KB
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1965 - Symphony Hall - 22 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,580 × 1,794; 458 KB
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1966 - Miller Symphony Hall - 30 Mar MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,213 × 961; 223 KB
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1966 - Miller Symphony Hall - 5 Oct MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,225 × 1,493; 286 KB
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1967 - Miller Symphony Hall - 11 Dec MC - Allentown PA.jpg 2,341 × 2,134; 763 KB
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1967 - Miller Symphony Hall - 3 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 2,365 × 2,317; 647 KB
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1968 - Miller Symphony Hall - 28 Jan MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,177 × 1,037; 215 KB
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1968 - Miller Symphony Hall - 3 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,580 × 1,185; 304 KB
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1969 - Miller Symphony Hall - 10 Feb MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,173 × 2,229; 428 KB
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1969 - Miller Symphony Hall - 6 Jan MC - Allentown PA.jpg 2,392 × 2,121; 663 KB
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1970 - Allentown Symphony Orchestra - Playbill - Allentown PA.jpg 1,044 × 1,400; 310 KB
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1970 - Miller Symphony Hall - 20 Sep MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,537 × 2,340; 739 KB
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1970 - Miller Symphony Hall - 26 Jun MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,545 × 2,705; 631 KB
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1970 - Miller Symphony Hall - 7 Oct MC - Allentown PA.jpg 2,757 × 1,598; 534 KB
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1971 - Miller Symphony Hall - 14 Oct MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,973 × 2,240; 821 KB
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1971 - Miller Symphony Hall - 18 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,601 × 2,549; 663 KB
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1971 - Miller Symphony Hall - 7 Feb MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,597 × 1,617; 300 KB
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1972 - Miller Symphony Hall - 16 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 831 × 1,516; 234 KB
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1972 - Miller Symphony Hall - 6 Dec MC - Allentown PA.jpg 3,109 × 1,589; 535 KB
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1972 - Miller Symphony Hall - 8 Jun MC - Allentown PA.jpg 796 × 336; 60 KB
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1973 - Miller Symphony Hall - 11 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 3,204 × 1,813; 847 KB
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1973 - Miller Symphony Hall - 2 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 2,376 × 1,029; 498 KB
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1973 - Miller Symphony Hall - 7 May MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,196 × 2,687; 637 KB
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1974 - Miller Symphony Hall - 23 Dec MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,028 × 1,625; 296 KB
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1974 - Miller Symphony Hall -29 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 2,074 × 2,154; 590 KB
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1974 - Miller Symphony Hall -7 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,037 × 717; 169 KB
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1975 - Miller Symphony Hall - 15 Oct MC - Allentown PA.jpg 2,026 × 1,418; 461 KB
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1975 - Miller Symphony Hall - 9 Feb MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,606 × 1,370; 355 KB
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1975 - Miller Symphony Hall - 9 Nov MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,569 × 1,049; 274 KB
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1976 - Miller Symphony Hall - 29 Nov MC - Allentown PA.jpg 997 × 928; 228 KB
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1976 - Miller Symphony Hall - 30 Apr MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,044 × 1,494; 216 KB
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1976 - Miller Symphony Hall - 4 Mar MC - Allentown PA.jpg 1,081 × 1,001; 207 KB
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2008 - Miller Symphony Hall.jpg 1,600 × 1,200; 473 KB
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2013 - Miller Symphony Hall - Auditorium.jpg 800 × 612; 139 KB
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2015 - Miller Symphony Hall - Front View.jpg 800 × 531; 107 KB
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2015 - Miller Symphony Hall - Right Front View.jpg 800 × 531; 117 KB
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2019 - Symphony Hall - 13 Feb - Allentown PA.jpg 4,096 × 2,731; 1.56 MB
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2020 - Miller Symphony Hall - Auditorium - Allentown PA.jpg 4,096 × 2,497; 2.35 MB
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2020 - Miller Symphony Hall - Entrance - Allentown PA.jpg 4,096 × 2,452; 1.75 MB
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2020 - Miller Symphony Hall - Entrance Hallway - Allentown PA.jpg 4,096 × 2,401; 1.29 MB
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2020 - Miller Symphony Hall - First Floor Lobby - Allentown PA.jpg 4,096 × 2,410; 1.88 MB
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2020 - Miller Symphony Hall - Meeting Room - Allentown PA.jpg 4,096 × 2,386; 1.34 MB
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2020 - Miller Symphony Hall - Stage - Allentown PA.jpg 7,203 × 4,391; 4.13 MB