The Concert Hall

The Concert Hall is the Sydney Opera House’s beating heart, home to a uniquely eclectic mix, from talks and ideas to Australian and international orchestras, jazz, electronica and all the genres contemporary music loves to defy.

A day in the life of the Concert Hall (2014) by Sydney Opera HouseSydney Opera House

Concert Hall lighting (2015) by Paul NajorSydney Opera House

"This is the greatest indoor performing space on earth."
– Singer-songwriter Ben Harper

The Concert Hall sits beneath the largest of Sydney Opera House’s roof sails, A2, filling the upper levels of the west side of the building.

With an audience capacity of up to 2679 in the round, it is the largest interior venue in the Opera House.

The stage area consists of a plain-walled platform, accessed via a double door on each side.

Home to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Concert Hall is heavily used by symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, solo classical performers and choral groups for which its acoustics are particularly suited.

Concert Hall lighting (2015) by Paul NajorSydney Opera House

The Concert Hall is also regularly used for contemporary music concerts, jazz, variety shows, dance, films, seminars and conferences requiring amplification.

More than 300 performances are staged in the Concert Hall every year.

The walls, stage and auditorium floor are made of Australian brush box timber. The seats consist of a shell of Australian white birch timber veneer, upholstered in magenta wool. The ceiling is also lined with white birch timber veneer.

Above the stage is what is believed to be the world’s largest mechanical action grand organ, itself a distinctive architectural feature of the hall.

Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall (1973) by Max DupainSydney Opera House

The Concert Hall was designed by Peter Hall, who took over as principal architect of the interior spaces of Sydney Opera House after Jørn Utzon's withdrawal from the project in 1966.

At the time of its opening in 1973, the Concert Hall was celebrated for its world-class acoustics, and in 2004 again attained a high ranking in acoustic specialist Leo Beranek's index of 58 Concert Halls across the world.

Grizzly Bear (2014) by Ken LeanforeSydney Opera House

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (2013) by Daniel BoudSydney Opera House

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra by Monika RittershausSydney Opera House

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra by Monika RittershausSydney Opera House

Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti (1983) by Don McMurdoSydney Opera House

Acoustic clouds (1973) by Max DupainSydney Opera House

A set of 21 acoustic clouds hangs above the stage to provide a basic acoustic foldback to the stage.

Acoustic clouds (1973) by Max DupainSydney Opera House

Concert Hall, flythrough, Latchkey, 2015, From the collection of: Sydney Opera House
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Concert Hall, crown lights, Latchkey, 2015, From the collection of: Sydney Opera House
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Concert Hall, Grand Organ, Latchkey, 2015, From the collection of: Sydney Opera House
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Concert Hall, Western Foyer, Max Dupain, 1973, From the collection of: Sydney Opera House
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The foyers of the Concert Hall completely encircle the hall, offering unsurpassed views across Sydney Harbour and the Harbour Bridge to the north and west, and the city to the south.

Concert Hall, Northern Foyer, Max Dupain, 1973, From the collection of: Sydney Opera House
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Concert Hall, Northern Foyer, Max Dupain, 1973, From the collection of: Sydney Opera House
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Concert Hall, Southern Foyer, Max Dupain, 1973, From the collection of: Sydney Opera House
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Concert Hall, Southern Foyer, Max Dupain, 1973, From the collection of: Sydney Opera House
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Concert Hall, Western Foyer (1973) by Max DupainSydney Opera House

Concert Hall, early construction (1969) by Max DupainSydney Opera House

Concert Hall, early construction (1969) by Max DupainSydney Opera House

Concert Hall, early construction (1969) by Max DupainSydney Opera House

Model of Concert Hall designed by Peter Hall (1968) by Max DupainSydney Opera House

Model of Concert Hall designed by Peter Hall, Max Dupain, 1968, From the collection of: Sydney Opera House
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Concert Hall, early construction, Max Dupain, 1969, From the collection of: Sydney Opera House
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Concert Hall, early construction, Max Dupain, 1969, From the collection of: Sydney Opera House
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Model of Concert Hall designed by Peter Hall, Max Dupain, 1968, From the collection of: Sydney Opera House
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Surveying the Concert Hall, Max Dupain, 1970, From the collection of: Sydney Opera House
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Concert Hall (2014) by Centre for Digital Documentation and Visualisation as part of The Scottish TenSydney Opera House

The Concert Hall in cross-section.

Sydney Opera House (2014) by Centre for Digital Documentation and Visualisation as part of The Scottish TenSydney Opera House

Cross section on Peter Hall's Concert Hall.

Note when viewing the next image, Hall’s very different approach from Utzon's original intentions for what was then a dual-purpose auditorium, designed to cater to both concerts and grand operas.

One of the most significant differences, aside from the design of the ceiling and seating arrangements, is the complete absence of the previously fitted stage machinery that reaches up into the largest of the roof shells, A2.

The principal director of engineering on the project, Ove Arup, said that scrapping the stage machinery was a waste of the shell structure.

In a letter to the Minister for Public Works, Davis Hughes, on 28 March 1967, Arup wrote: "I understand that your Government has now finally decided to abandon the idea of using the Major Hall for opera. It is a very dramatic – almost, one might say, tragic – decision because it makes a nonsense of the whole form of the shells, which were meant to house the stage tower."

Major Hall, cross-sectional architectural model, west elevation (1964) by Jenni CarterSydney Opera House

Utzon's design for the Major Hall was a dual-purpose auditorium in response to the original brief for Sydney Opera House which called for the hosting of concerts and grand operas in the Major Hall.

Great efforts went into the design of this style of auditorium, particularly because the acoustic reverberation times between the two types of productions differ.

However, by the time Hall came to design the space, it was internationally recognised that dual-purpose halls performed poorly, and the brief changed to support the design of a hall for the sole purpose of staging concerts.

Despite the success of Hall's Concert Hall, Utzon's unrealised interior designs endure as a fascinating reminder of the building’s troubled history.

Flying Lotus (2015) by Prudence UptonSydney Opera House

Concert Hall lighting (2015) by Paul NajorSydney Opera House

Opera singers Lance Ryan and Boaz Daniel in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde in the Concert Hall with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Robertson (2015) by Ken ButtiSydney Opera House

Sydney Symphony Orchestra chief conductor and artistic director David Robertson in the final bow after conducting Beethoven's Symphony No.9 (2015) by Ken ButtiSydney Opera House

Australian Chamber Orchestra performs Beethoven's 9th Symphony in the Concert Hall (2014) by Australian Chamber OrchestraSydney Opera House

UK Dance duo Disclosure play the Concert Hall (2016) by Ken LeanforeSydney Opera House

Exploring the Concert Hall on Open Day (2015) by Sydney Opera HouseSydney Opera House

Credits: Story

Created by Sam Doust and the
Sydney Opera House GCI Team

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Contributors:
Centre for Digital Documentation and Visualisation as part of The Scottish Ten
Latchkey
State Library of New South Wales

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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