Picture pianist Van Cliburn's suggestion leading to the Bass Performance Hall, a performing arts venue here in Fort Worth, Texas. It began with a suggestion from pianist Van Cliburn to philanthropist Nancy Lee Bass and her husband, Perry Richardson Bass, and was designed by David M. Schwarz of Architectural Services, Inc. Built in 1998 of limestone, the hall feels like a carved treasure: an 80-foot-diameter dome painted by Scott and Stuart Gentling crowns the Founders Concert Theater, while the façade is watched over by two 48-foot-tall angels sculpted by Marton Varo from Texas limestone. Inside, 2,056 seats make this a comfortable home for a huge range of performances — symphony, ballet, opera, stage musicals and even rock concerts — and the building is now the permanent home to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and Cliburn Concerts.
Performing Arts Fort Worth manages the hall and brings in national touring Broadway productions and a family series. Just beyond the hall the Maddox-Muse Center opened in 2001, adding the Van Cliburn Recital Hall and the McDavid Studio with 220 seats, a space later renamed in 2006. The painted dome and the pairs of limestone angels watch over you here.