“Orpheum Theater developers have confirmed that renovation work at the historic New Orleans concert hall is on schedule. They expect to complete the yearlong, $13 million project before the Aug. 29 anniversary of Hurricane Katrina,” writes Chris Waddington in Sunday’s (7/5) Times-Picayune. The theater has been closed since the 2005 hurricane, when “floodwaters filled the basement…. During a Wednesday walk-through … plasterers climbed scaffolds to touch up decorative ceilings and terra-cotta details in the lobby…. In the balcony and lofty gallery areas of the theater, new chairs were being installed. About 1,491 will be in place when the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra performs the first concert at the hall, Sept. 17…. The lineup of other Orpheum performers will be announced in August, and is expected to include comics, modern dance, stage plays and all styles of music. The Orpheum restoration is being led by Roland and Mary von Kurnatowski, who bought the Orpheum for $1.5 million in February 2014 with business partner Dr. Eric George. The von Kurnatowskis are the owners of Tipitina’s and founders of the Tipitina’s Foundation, which supports music culture by supplying instruments and internships to young musicians.”
Posted July 7, 2015
Pictured: members of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in the Orpheum Theater during restoration. Photo by Zack Smith
