The Belk Theater hosts a variety of events, from opera and rock concerts, to meetings and lectures. The theater is located inside the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, which was designed by architect Cesar Pelli and opened in 1992. The Center was named after both the contributions of the people in North Carolina and the Blumenthal Foundation. The Belk Theater, with a seating capacity of 2,097, is the largest in the Performing Arts Center, and is designed in a European horseshoe shape to create the most intimate atmosphere and maximum quality acoustics.