performance venues
Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Concert Hall
Official Venue for Division 3 / 2B / 2A / 1
The 600-seat concert hall is purpose-built for classical music performances, and is an ideal venue for chamber music as well as for symphony orchestra concerts. The narrower width of the seating area in the stalls creates an intimate feel, which opens up to embrace the curve of the stage. Sound reflectors above the stage allow the acoustic height of the room to be adjusted for different performances.
The rectangular “shoe-box” shape of the hall is also found in world-class concert halls such as Symphony Hall in Boston, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Musikverein in Vienna.
The surface finishes were chosen for both architectural and acoustical value. One of the most interesting details is the balcony front, which is made of maple wood. Its curved surfaces help to homogenize the hall’s acoustics, while the grooves of varying depths diffuse sound waves to every corner of the room. The wavy finishes of the wall panels create a similar diffusion effect.
The hall was designed by German consultant Eckhard Kahle of Kahle Acoustics, in collaboration with UK-based Theatre Projects Consultants.
Official Venue for Gala Concert / Concert Division / Closing & Award Ceremony
The Concert Hall is Esplanade’s crown jewel, which seats 1,630 and another 197 in the gallery. Chosen by Hamburg-based building data company Emporis in 2014 as one of the 15 most beautiful concert halls in the world, the hall boasts superb acoustics.
It is one of only five such halls in the world with similar state-of-the-art features, which include reverberation chambers and an acoustic canopy that adapts the hall for different musical performances, producing optimum sound at every concert.
