TheLuis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center (Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré in Spanish) is a multi-use performance centre located in thebarrio ofSanturce inSan Juan,Puerto Rico. It features three main concert and theater halls for plays,ballet,operas and concerts. It was renamed in 1994 after the late Puerto Rican philanthropist, politician and Governor of Puerto Rico,Luis A. Ferré.
The Center opened on April 9, 1981 under the administration of GovernorCarlos Romero Barceló after ten years of planning, project financing, and construction. Since then, it has become the most important performing arts venue in the Puerto Rican capital, presenting the highest level of commercial theater in Puerto Rico along with ballets and operas, and also hosting artists such asPlácido Domingo andMenudo. The center is home to thePuerto Rico Symphony Orchestra and the annualCasals Festival.
In January 2019,Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musicalHamilton began its third touring production at the venue, with Miranda reprising the title role ofFounding Father andSecretary of Treasury,Alexander Hamilton, with higher praise than his original run on Broadway.[2] Miranda returned to the venue after nine years since he reprised the role of Usnavi exclusively in San Juan during the North American touring production ofIn the Heights, which he also wrote.
The Center features four mainconcert andtheater halls, two eateries and a central outdoor plaza, each with its own unique features:
Antonio Paoli Festival Hall – Dedicated to a Puerto Rican opera singer, it is the largest hall of the center. Seating is between 1,875 and 1,945, and features two stories with VIP balconies, world-class acoustic system, and a 62-by-50-foot (19 by 15 m) stage perfect for scenic musical performances including, operas, ballet, popular music shows, and symphonic concerts.
René Marqués Theater Hall – Dedicated to one of Puerto Rico's most famous playwrights and essayists, this hall seats between 748 and 781 guests and with a stage measuring 42 by 40 feet, it is specially designed for plays and musical performances.
Carlos Marichal Performance Hall – dedicated to a respected Puerto Rican set and costume designer, the hall features seating for 210 guests in an intimatearena-styled theater.
Kenny G in the Sala Sinfónica
Sala SinfónicaPablo Casals – symphony hall dedicated to the SpanishCatalan cellist and conductor best remembered for the recording theBach Cello Suites he made from 1936 to 1939. The $34 million building, designed by Rodolfo Fernandez and Acentech Incorporated's Studio A, seats 1,300 and serves as the new home of thePuerto Rico Symphony Orchestra.[3]
Juan Morel Campos Plaza, dedicated to the Puerto Rican composer ofdanzas is located right in front of the center's main entrance, it is a large openplaza featuring a pair ofsculptures calledThe Muses and the Las Tablas Restaurant, and is available for outdoor activities and presentations for 800 guests.
Sylvia Rexach Theater Café – Designed to be a fourth, but smaller, concert hall, the Café opened in 1988 and offers a relaxed nightclub theme for up to 200 guests with a small stage for intimate performances. Axylographic mural by famed local artist Antonio Martorell decorates its walls and grants homage to Sylvia Rexach, the famous Puerto Ricanbolero singer and composer.
Las Tablas Restaurant (formerly the Arts Pavilion) – is arestaurant within the Juan Morel Campos Plaza and features an award-winning architectural design. The restaurant, whose theme literally embodies the phraseThe Beauty of the Caribbean, is owned by international pop starLuis Fonsi and local music and concert producer Tony Mojena. Its menu, developed by Giovanna Huyke, is built around the themethe taste of music, and consists mostly oflocal traditional foods prepared by its in-house chef Alexis Bartolomei.
The center is surrounded by various art expositions, including murals, paintings, and sculptures. The two largest halls feature art expositions which distinguishes each one:
In theAntonio Paoli Festival Hall's second floor, a 30-by-15-foot (9.1 by 4.6 m)mural titledLa Plena by Rafael Tufiño is on display and represents twelve famous Puerto Ricanplenas by local songwriterManuel “Canario” Jiménez: Cortaron an Elena; Temporal; El Perro de San Jerónimo; Josefina; Santa María; Tintorera del Mar; Fuego, Fuego, Fuego; Monchín del Alma; Cuando las Mujeres; Tanta Vanidad; Lola; and El Diablo Colorao. The mural was created 30 years before the opening of the Center between 1952 and 1954. It was moved to its current place in 1987 after a three-year restoration project by Anton Konrad.
In the René Marqués Hall, a 20-by-39-foot (6.1 by 11.9 m)stained glass exposition titledForm and Tropical Crystals by local artistLuis Hernández Cruz illuminates its lobby with 5,700 multi-colored pieces of crystal arranged to showcase themes related to the sea, the forest, the sky and the overall tropical ambiance.
Near the entrance of the center, various expositions greet guests and visitors, including a 40-foot (12 m) aluminum sculpture byLuis Torruella titledMelodic Reflection. However, the main art theme of the center's entrance areThe Muses. These are two separate works of art, one being an assortment of 6-foot-tall (1.8 m)bronze female sculptures along theJuan Morel Campos Plaza, by Annex Burgos; and the second being a large mural at the center'sfaçade (pictured above), made from a mixture concrete and crystal stones and designed byAugusto Marín. Each muse represents the different arts and cultures which the Center embraces, including local and classical music, theater, literature, dance, films, architecture, sculptures, and painting.[citation needed]
