The Score | A Space of Their Own

The Bradley Symphony Center—formerly the Warner Grand Theater, a lavish 1931 movie palace—is now home to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra had previously performed at the Marcus Performing Arts Center’s Uihlein Hall, which it shared with other arts groups. The center’s original opening in fall of 2020 was delayed due to the pandemic. Restoration and renovation began in 2017, when the MSO acquired the theater, which had gone unused since the 1990s. Renovation required the changes you would expect—improved acoustics, lighting, electrical wiring, new seats—and then some: a newly installed HVAC system got an upgrade during the pandemic with advanced air purification features. The theater’s 625-ton wall had to be moved back 35 feet for the larger stage the orchestra needed. And repairs had to be made after a flood in May 2020. In February, the orchestra presented its first chamber concerts in the new space, socially distanced and streamed, with a fuller schedule planned for the fall. The MSO’s season-opening concert in October will feature Music Director Ken-David Masur, pianist and artistic partner Aaron Diehl, and the world premiere of Eric Nathan’s Opening plus works by Gershwin, James B. Wilson, Ellington, and Stravinsky.