The hall will host about 30 concerts by the BSO each year and will serve as the home of Maryland's National Philharmonic, which stages its own inaugural gala on February 12. It will also host touring artists through its own series and the Washington Performing Arts Society series.

The glass-and-limestone hall was designed by William Rawn Associates, which also created Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood. Acoustical design was carried out by Lawrence Kirkegaard, whose projects have included renovations of Carnegie Hall and Chicago's Symphony Center as well as the creation of many high-profile venues.