By Yameen Hameed
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The Palladium, a 1,600-seat concert hall is scheduled to open in the Carmel City Center in January 2011. Having been under construction since December 2007, the new amphitheater is going to be the only one of its caliber in Carmel, according to executive director Steven Libman.

“The Center is being built to serve as a permanent fixture on the Central Indiana landscape and will provide an extraordinary listening experience for audiences,” Libman said via e-mail. According to Libman, the amphitheater is one of many venues in the Center for the Performing Arts. Others will include a 500-seat theater, a 200-seat theater and an outdoor amphitheater.
Arthur Shou, Orchestra member and sophomore, is excited for the Palladium.

“It’s going to be one of the best performing arts centers in all of North America,” he said. Shou said the most unique part of the amphitheater is its acoustics, which will help music sound even better.

“It’s worth the money, but I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to build it right now,” Shou said. “I feel like we shouldn’t have decided without thinking about how it would impact our budget.” Shou believes that it would be better for the Palladium to be built in a few years, after the economy is back to how it was before the recession. According to Libman, the city of Carmel will give a $1.6 million grant to help start up the Palladium.

“This is not only an investment in the arts and the city’s quality of life, but in the long-term economic growth of Carmel,” Libman said. Funding is provided by bonds paid for with both private support and non-residential property taxes. This can help pay for various things during the period before the theatre opens, when ticket sales will not allow it to generate income.

According to Libman, the Palladium will be home to various shows including Michael Feinstein’s Great American Songbook Collection, to act as a museum and educational center by day and a concert venue by night.

“It’ll make it so that Carmel isn’t just about education and roundabouts,” Shou said. “It’ll make us really stand out.”