Petronas Philharmonic Hall, Concert hall at Petronas Twin Towers, Malaysia

The Petronas Philharmonic Hall is Malaysia's first concert hall built for classical music, designed by Cesar Pelli on the shoebox model of 19th-century European halls and seating 920, including box seats, corporate suites and a royal suite. Its domed ceiling of tiered wood panels holds seven movable panels that adjust the hall's volume, while absorptive sidewall panels open or close to change resonance; Kirkegaard Associates designed the acoustics. The stage floor covers about 297 m2 and extends to 369 m2, and the Klais organ facade of vertical silver pipes rises at the rear of the stage.

Construction of this performance venue began in 1995 as part of the larger Petronas Twin Towers development and opened to the public in 1998. The project was developed to help establish Kuala Lumpur as a center for classical music and international performances.

The hall is home to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, which opened the venue on 17 August 1998 with organist Simon Preston giving the Klais organ's first performance. The organ façade takes its shape from the angklung, the Indonesian bamboo instrument, so the pipes echo a regional form rather than a European one.

The hall sits on the base floor of the Petronas Twin Towers, so no tower elevator ride is needed to reach it. The stage floor covers about 297 m² and can be extended to 369 m², while the orchestra pit holds up to 45 musicians. Check performance dates in advance, as the hall is the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra's home venue.

The organ facade, with its vertical silver pipes, was modelled on the angklung, the Indonesian bamboo instrument. Built by Johannes Klais Orgelbau of Bonn, it holds 2,977 pipes, from 32 feet down to just over an inch. Simon Preston gave its inaugural performance on 17 August 1998, the hall's opening day.