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, just off Martin Place.

City Recital Hall
City Recital Hall
Map
Address2 Angel Place
Sydney NSW 2000
LocationSydney, Australia
Capacity1,238 seated capacity[citation needed]
Construction
Opened1999 (1999)
Renovated2023-2024
ArchitectPeddle Thorp & Walker Architects (1999)
Website
www.cityrecitalhall.com

History

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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.[1][2]

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.[1]

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.[1]

Since 2023, 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.[3] 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.[4][5] Since June 2023, partially as a result of renovations, City Recital Hall began offering standing general admission concerts.[6][7]

Notable events and performances

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City Recital Hall has hosted the following companies:

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   United States 2009
Sara Bareilles Pop   United States 2014
The Milk Carton Kids Indie folk   United States 2015, 2023
Middle Kids Alternative / Indie rock   Australia 2021
Julia Jacklin Indie pop   Australia 2022
Paul Kelly & Paul Grabowsky Australian rock / Folk & Jazz   Australia 2022
Aldous Harding Indie folk   New Zealand 2022
Peaches Electroclash / Punk rock   Canada 2023
Femi Kuti Afrobeats   Nigeria /   United Kingdom 2023
Ichiko Aoba Folk   Japan 2023
Cerrone Disco / Electronic   France 2023
The Pharcyde Alternative hip hop   United States 2023
Obongjayar Afrobeat   Nigeria /   United Kingdom 2023
Oneohtrix Point Never Electronic / Experimental   United States 2023
Autechre Electronic   United Kingdom 2023
Ezra Collective Jazz / Afrobeat   United Kingdom 2023
Theo Parrish Deep house   United States 2023
Courtney Barnett Indie rock / Alternative rock   Australia 2024
Yothu Yindi Rock / Indigenous music of Australia   Australia 2024
Marlon Williams Alt-country / Folk   New Zealand 2024

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Murray 2005.
  2. ^ "City Recital Hall celebrates its twentieth anniversary with a special concert event: We Are Twenty". Eastside FM. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  3. ^ Archer Office. "City Recital Hall". CO-architecture. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  4. ^ "d&b Soundscape gives Sydney City Recital Hall a new voice". Mondo DR. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  5. ^ "d&b Revives Sydney's City Recital Hall". National Audio Systems. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  6. ^ Lefevre, Jules (1 May 2023). "The Pharcyde, Cerrone, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever to Play Sydney's City Recital Hall". Music Feeds.
  7. ^ Hansen, Ben (5 May 2023). "The City Recital Hall Has Announced Its June Program Featuring Legends The Pharcyde and Asgeir". Concrete Playground.

References

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33°52′01″S 151°12′28″E / 33.867028°S 151.207865°E / -33.867028; 151.207865