More than 250,000 people a year come to the Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center, here on the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Here, more than 250,000 people come for over 300 diverse events each year, making the ASC the center for entertainment and arts education in Birmingham and Central Alabama. Inside, four distinct performance venues await: the 1,330-seat Jemison Concert Hall, the 350-seat Sirote Theatre, the intimate 170-seat Reynolds-Kirschbaum Recital Hall, and the black-box Odess Theatre.
The programming spans classical music, jazz, theatre, and visual arts. Jazz offerings have included Diane Schuur, Branford Marsalis, the Count Basie Orchestra, and the UAB SuperJazz Big Band, while classical concerts have featured Itzhak Perlman and major European orchestras. The ASC is the official home of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and frequently collaborates with local arts organizations such as the Birmingham Music Club and the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame to present concerts and educational programs, including the Fun With Jazz Educational Program.
Somewhere inside, four stages sit quiet between shows, waiting for the next 300 to fill them.