bad experiences with hall acoustics and pianos. To entice him out West to the Ambassador, he was allowed to select any grand piano of his choosing at Steinway Hall in New York. It was shipped out and tuned by Steinway. After Rubenstein's performance, a plaque was affixed naming it the Artur Rubenstein piano. Its reputation spread so quickly in musical circles, Herbert von Karajan changed his American tour with the Berlin Philharmonic shortly before leaving Berlin to play at the Ambassador. It was the only concert hall to which von Karajan would take the Berlin Philharmonic on the West Coast. After 2,500 concerts and recitals, the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), which operated the college and auditorium, ceased operation of both in the 1990s and sold the property. Under Joseph W. Tkach Sr., the famous performing arts series was shut down in 1995, saying they could no longer afford to subsidize the program and that it was not central to the mission of the church. The WCG later relocated its operations to nearby Glendora. On January 26, 1996, National Public Radio staged a battle of the bands between the contending cities in Super Bowl XXX. Pittsburgh's River City Brass Band played Semper Fidelis by John Philip Sousa and the Battle Royal March by Fred Jewell in concert at Ambassador Auditorium, followed by a performance from Dallas at the Meyerson Symphony Hall. On May 14, 2004 the church announced the sale of approximately 13 acres (53,000 m²) of its former 31-acre (125,000 m²) campus to Harvest Rock Church (HRC) and Maranatha High School. The sale included the Ambassador Auditorium, now under the sole ownership of Che Ahn's HRock Church of Pasadena. Since the acquisition of Ambassador Auditorium HRC has re-opened the venue to the public. It hosts many regional ensembles including the Colburn Orchestra and the Pasadena Symphony. HRock Church's services, conferences and special events are also held at the Auditorium along with Maranatha's. From 2010-2019, the Ambassador Auditorium surroundings underwent massive change as the original Ambassador College campus was parceled up and sold to developers who tore down most other structures on the campus including the Fine Arts & Science Centers, Hall of Administration, & library in favor of apartment and condominium structures. External links Facebook Group about Ambassador Auditorium Pasadena Symphony and POPS www.theambassadorauditorium.org HRock Church Ambassador Auditorium Collection (ARS.0043), Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound The Doug Russell Collection