Listen for the acoustics that made this Emery Theatre famous here in Over-the-Rhine, one of the country's finest concert rooms. Built in 1911 as the home for the Ohio Mechanics Institute, its large auditorium was always intended for public use. The design follows the “isacoustic curve” principles first proposed by John Scott Russell, and the house was built with two balconies and a total of 2,211 seats — one of the first concert halls in the United States to have no obstructed seats.
From January 6, 1912 until 1936 the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra made this room their home before moving to the larger Music Hall. The quality of the acoustics here is legendary; Leopold Stokowski compared this theater’s sound to Carnegie Hall. Over the years world‑renowned artists and Broadway stars have appeared on this stage: George Gershwin, John Philip Sousa, Bette Davis, Arturo Toscanini, Fritz Reiner, Katharine Cornell, and the Russian dancers Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova.
Gershwin even performed Rhapsody in Blue here. Picture Gershwin at the piano, Toscanini on the podium, and Pavlova dancing — all performed in the room rising above you.