Standing on a previously used “pauper’s cemetery” then Elm Street Park, the Music Hall was completed in 1878 and is now home to Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, May Festival Chorus, and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. The first performances in this magnificent showpiece took place in May 14, 1878 with Christoph Willibard Gluck’s opera “Alceste” and Beethoven’s symphony “Eroica”. An estimated 6,000 spectators watched these great performances. The Music Hall was also the venue for the 1880 Democratic National Convention.

Through the donations by its founder and patron Reuben Springer, the Music Hall became a reality and was built with two purposes, to house musical activities in its central auditorium and industrial exhibitions in its side wings. It is comprised of a main hall named the Springer Auditorium, in honor of its founder, has a sitting room for 3,516 individuals, the Music Hall Ballroom which can accommodate up to 1,300 people and is considered the second largest meeting space in the city of Cincinnati, the Corbett Tower that seats up to 300 can be used for a wide variety of events such as weddings, grand receptions and parties, and the Critic’s Club that can contain up to 50 guests, ideal for intimate gatherings.

The Music Hall is operated by a non-profit organization called Cincinnati Arts Association and is being maintained and improved through the help of the Society for the Preservation of Music Hall, a group composed of volunteers from all walks of life who are dedicated to the Music Hall’s continued preservation.