Where/what is Alys Stephens Center? Is it associated to one of the universities?
The Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center (ASC) is a state-of-the-art performing arts facility located on the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). It hosts over 250,000 people for more than 300 diverse events annually. The ASC is the center for entertainment and arts education in Birmingham and Central Alabama. The facility houses 4 performance venues including the 1,330-seat Jemison Concert Hall, the 350-seat Sirote Theatre, the intimate 170-seat Reynolds-Kirschbaum Recital Hall, and the flexible black-box Odess Theatre.
The ASC hosts a wide variety of events each year, in every field of artistic endeavor, from Classical music, to Jazz, to Theatre Arts and Visual Arts. Jazz fans enjoy to a wide diversity of programing offered by the ASC, from Diane Schuur or Branford Marsalis, to the Count Basie Orchestra or Ellis Marsalis with the SuperJazz Big Band. Classical afficianados can hear concerts by world-class performers such as Itzak Perlman or major European orchestras. Also, the ASC is the official home of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. The ASC often collaborates with other local arts organizations, such as the Birmingham Music Club and the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame to present concerts and educational programs.
The Alys Stephens Center has also become a popular venue in the Southeast for live recordings. Two examples of notable live recordings done at the ASC are "Gospel Goes Classical," produced by UAB music professor Henry Panion, and "UAB SuperJazz, featuring Ellis Marsalis," co-produced by Henry Panion and former UAB Director of Jazz Ensembles, Ray Reach.