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Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Pritzker Pavilion, or Pritzker Music Pavilion is a band shell in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The Frank Gehry-designed pavilion, named for Pritzker family member Jay Pritzker, was constructed between June 1999 and July 2004 in Millennium Park. It is located on the south side of Randolph Street directly across from some of the tallest buildings in the world and east of the Chicago Landmark Historic Michigan Boulevard District. It is the park's outdoor performing arts venue and the new home of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. As home of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and Chorus it is also the home of the Grant Park Music Festival, the nation's only remaining free outdoor classical music series. The structure is built partially atop the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, the park's indoor performing arts venue. It serves as the centerpiece for the park that was opened on July 16, 2004. The first mainstream concert at the Pavilion was performed by Tori Amos and took place on August 31, 2005. The performance venue is designed with a large fixed seating area, a great lawn, a trellis network to support the sound system and a signature Gehry stainless steel headdress. It features a sound system with an innovative acoustic design that replicates an indoor concert hall sound experience. The pavilion and the park in general are well-known and respected for their accessibility.