Famous Concert Halls Around The World

Architecture certainly says a lot about a city – its history, its planning, its priorities and inspiration – but so do their arts, and their support them. I find this is most readily on display through the glorious venue & theater spaces dedicated to housing countless performances. Now these may be judged by many factors – from design to acoustics – so with that said, let’s talk about some of the most famous concert halls around the World. (*Photographed here is Toronto’s Massey Hall, opened in 1894)

1.Musikverein, Vienna, Austria

2. Symphony Hall, Boston, USA

3. Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands

4. Konzerthaus Berlin, Germany – a shoebox hall with 1,600 seats. It opened as a theater in 1821.

5. Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Japan – a shoebox hall with 1,632 seats. It opened in 1997.

6. Stadtcasino Basel, Switzerland – a shoebox hall with 1,500 seats. It opened in 1876.

7. Symphony Hall, Birmingham, England – a  shoebox design with 2,262 seats. It opened in 1991.

8. Culture and Congress Centre (KKL), Lucerne, Switzerland – a shoebox design with 1,840 seats. Designed by Jean Nouvel, it opened in 1998.

9. St. David’s Hall, Cardiff, Wales – a surround hall with 2,000 seats. It opened in 1982.

10. Paris Philharmonie, France – a surround hall with 2,400 seats. Designed by Nouvel, it opened in 2014.

11. Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Germany – a surround hall with 2,100 seats. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, it opened in 2017.

12. Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, Moscow and Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg, Russia – Tchaikovsky Concert Hall has 1,505 seats. It opened in 1609. Mariinsky Theatre has 1,609 seats. It opened in 1860.

13. The Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles – it seats 2,265 people, opened 2003

14. National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing, China –  seats 5,452, opened in 2007

15. The Oslo Opera House, Norway – main auditorium seats 1,364 seats and two other performance spaces that can seat 200 and 400.

16. Royal Albert Hall, London, England – opened by Queen Victoria in 1871.

17. The Copenhagen Concert Hall, Denmark – main auditorium seats 1,800 people.

18. Auditorio de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

19. National Theater and Concert Hall, Taipei, Taiwan – Completed in 1987, they are Taiwan’s primary national performing arts venues.

20. Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech Republic

21. Casa da Música, Porto, Portugal

22. Carnegie Hall, New York City, USA – built by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1891.

23. Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Mexico – built during the Mexican Revolution, hindered then stopped construction completely by 1913.

24. The Sage Gateshead, Gateshead Quays, UK

25. Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, Russia

26. Harpa, Reykjavik, Iceland

27. Sydney Opera House, Australia

28. The Royal Opera House Muscat, Oman