This 19th-century music venue offers opera, ballet and orchestra performances as well as spooky ghost tours.
The Music Hall is home to the Cincinnati Symphony, Pop Orchestra, Cincinnati Ballet and the Cincinnati Opera. The theater’s acoustics are superb, thanks to its carefully designed auditorium. Visit Cincinnati’s favorite cultural center and catch a show or ghost tour in a grand setting.
This gothic revival–style Music Hall was built in 1878. The carefully preserved red brick structure with towers and round glass windows was declared a National Historic Monument in 1975. Check out the huge auditorium, with 3,516 seats and chandeliers from Czechoslovakia. The auditorium was named after Reuben Springer, a wealthy local businessman who helped fund the building of the Music Hall.
The venue welcomes many national and international acts each year. There’s also a series of performances by the resident orchestra and opera. When you book a performance, keep in mind that the gallery’s the best place to enjoy the room’s perfect acoustics.
There are two other spaces in the hall: The Ballroom, a 20,000-square-foot (1,858-square-meter) meeting space, and the Corbett Tower, a reception room.
Pay just a few dollars to join a tour during the day. Study some of the building’s prominent architectural features, including the facade’s stone carvings. Check out the resonant hardwood stage and learn about the auditorium’s acoustics.
An evening ghost tour is a unique and spooky experience. Over the years there have been reports of paranormal activity in the Music Hall, as the building sits on the site of an old pauper’s cemetery. Guides recount tales of ghostly sightings that have been reported here.
The Music Hall is located in Over-the-Rhine, just near downtown Cincinnati. Metro buses service the area and there’s paid parking available in several lots nearby. Entry times and prices vary with performances. Day tours require a minimum of 10 people to run on weekdays. The ghost tours have a maximum of 40 people and run approximately once every month.