Durham, N.C. — A former general manager of the Walnut Creek Amphitheatre has been named general manager of the new Durham Performing Arts Center.

Bob Klaus served as general manager of Walnut Creek, formerly known as Alltel Pavilion, from 1997 to 2006.

“Bob Klaus has national expertise in the management of performing arts venues,” Nick Scandalios, executive vice president of Nederlander Producing Co. of America, said in a statement. “Under his watch, the amphitheater received more fan favorite awards than any other entertainment facility in the Carolinas and was perennially ranked among the top 15 venues of its kind in the U.S.”

Nederlander and Professional Facilities Management will jointly handle programming at the Durham Performing Arts Center, which is scheduled to open this year.

The $44 million, 2,800-seat theater, located next to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, will offer a variety of Broadway shows, concerts, family shows and other events.

For the past two years, Klaus worked on special projects for a variety of venues, including the new $54 million Bethel Woods Center in Bethel, N.Y. He also worked with the Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park in Cary and the new Performing Arts Theatre in Holly Springs.