Sound check: Arts Center earns positive reviews at dedication

It was some time in becoming a reality, but the Hylton Performing Arts Center is finished now and according to people who know, it looks and sounds great.

Area performers including the Brentsville High School Jazz Band, the George Mason University Orchestra, soprano Alessandra Marc, the Manassas Chorale and the George Mason Combined Choir took the stage in a dedication ceremony Saturday at the center on the Prince William campus of George Mason University.

Merchant Hall, the main performance venue at the arts center, named after Carol Merchant Kirby, who donated $1 million toward construction, was filled nearly to its 1,116-seat capacity with supporters and fans Saturday during the ceremony.

Theater goer Ben LaPlaca said he was "proud" that the center was ready to go.

"I think it's a wonderful establishment and I'm so glad it came to Prince William County," the Gainesville man said.

Sharon Okolicsanyi liked the wood that backed the stage in Merchant Hall , which was inspired by 19th century European opera houses.

"It's just beautiful." she said of the sound in the hall.

Mark Bateman said the building rivaled other venues in bigger towns.

"This place is gorgeous. It's just beyond anything I've seen around here. It reminds me of some of the fancier places in Washington and Boston," he said. "The sound is just fantastic."

Tom Smith performed in the ceremonies Saturday with Manassas Chorale and said all of the performers he talked to said they looked forward to coming back to the $46 million performing arts center.

"The facility was excellent. It was quite an experience," Smith said of performing at the arts center that will open to the public on May 21 with a weekend celebration. "It's a state-of-the-art, top-notch facility,"

The 86,000-square-foot performing arts center is a partnership between Prince William County, the City of Manassas, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the university.

The center is named for the Cecil D. and Irene V. Hylton Foundation of Dale City, which donated $5 million toward construction.

The Hyltons are best known for developing much of Dale City.

George Mason University donated the land, worth an estimated $3 million.

The center also houses the Gregory Family Theater, a 300-seat performance space that can be configured in a variety ways to accommodate dance, chamber music, theater or spoken presentations, and the Buchanan Partners Gallery, a visual arts gallery where works of art will be rotated in and out.

Also included in the center are scene, paint and costume shops, dressing rooms, a catering kitchen, offices and work space for visiting companies.

Senior Repoter Keith Walker can be reached at 703-369-6751.