City Recital Hall in Sydney, Australia, is a purpose-built concert venue with the capacity for an audience of 1,238 people seated over three tiers of sloped seating. It is situated in the city centre in Angel Place, nearby Martin Place. The architect was Peddle Thorp & Walker Architects and acoustic consultant was Arup Acoustics.
History
City Recital Hall, opened in 1999, is the first specially designed concert venue to be built in the city since the Opera House in 1973.
The venue was initiated by the City of Sydney and was specifically designed for solo recitals, chamber music and the spoken word. The auditorium's 1.8-second reverberation time is attuned for chamber music. The spoken word and amplified music are accommodated by the operation of specially designed acoustic banners. The entire auditorium is supported on rubber bearings to avoid vibration and street sounds and the air conditioning and lighting systems have been treated to minimise external noise.
The Hall was designed in a shoebox shape, based on the classical configuration of 19th-century European concert halls. The design includes gently sloping stalls and two galleries that wrap around both sides and rear of the auditorium. The décor is of grey, gold leaf, light timber panelling and plum-coloured upholstery. The main grand stairway is white marble.
, City Recital Hall has been undergoing a Capital Renewal Project in partnership with the City of Sydney. The renovations encompass the four foyers, including the four bars and cloakroom, the lower ground bathrooms, the dressing and green rooms, and the orchestra room. In addition, the venue's audio system has been upgraded to enable 360-degree spatial sound on all three levels, with the aim of further establishing a place in Sydney's contemporary music scene to complement classical offerings. , partially as a result of renovations, City Recital Hall began offering standing general admission concerts.
Notable events and performances
City Recital Hall has hosted the following companies: Australian Brandenburg Orchestra Australian Chamber Orchestra Australian String Quartet Gondwana Voices Musica Viva Australia Pinchgut Opera Selby & Friends Sydney Children's Choir Sydney Festival Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Sydney Symphony Orchestra Sydney Writers' Festival
A list of some of the more famous musical acts that have performed at City Recital Hall include:
Band name Genre Country Year/s Played Bon Iver Indie folk 2009 Sara Bareilles Pop 2014 The Milk Carton Kids Indie folk 2015, 2023 Middle Kids Alternative / Indie rock 2021 Julia Jacklin Indie pop 2022 Paul Kelly & Paul Grabowsky Australian rock / Folk & Jazz 2022 Aldous Harding Indie folk 2022 Peaches Electroclash / Punk rock 2023 Femi Kuti Afrobeats / 2023 Ichiko Aoba Folk 2023 Cerrone Disco / Electronic 2023 The Pharcyde Alternative hip hop 2023 Obongjayar Afrobeat / 2023 Oneohtrix Point Never Electronic / Experimental 2023 Autechre Electronic 2023 Ezra Collective Jazz / Afrobeat 2023 Theo Parrish Deep house 2023 Courtney Barnett Indie rock / Alternative rock 2024 Yothu Yindi Rock / Indigenous music of Australia 2024 Marlon Williams Alt-country / Folk 2024
See also List of concert halls Forgotten Songs (artwork)
Notes
References
External links
Review of the new book "Musical Chairs: The Quest for a City Recital Hall"