City Recital Hall, Musical performance venue in Angel Place, Sydney, Australia.
City Recital Hall is a purpose-built concert venue in Angel Place, Sydney, with 1,238 seats over three tiers of sloped seating. Designed by Peddle Thorp & Walker Architects with acoustics by Arup, it has a shoebox-shaped auditorium with grey, gold leaf, light timber panelling and plum upholstery, and a white marble grand stairway.
City Recital Hall opened in 1999, the first purpose-built concert venue in central Sydney since the Opera House of 1973. The City of Sydney initiated the project, and Peddle Thorp & Walker Architects designed it with Arup Acoustics as acoustic consultant. Since 2023 a Capital Renewal Project with the City of Sydney has renovated the foyers, bars, cloakroom, bathrooms, dressing and green rooms and orchestra room, and upgraded the audio system for 360-degree spatial sound on all three levels.
The hall's stages host the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Australian String Quartet, Pinchgut Opera, Musica Viva Australia, Sydney Children's Choir and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. The Sydney Writers' Festival uses it for spoken word, and since June 2023 it has run standing general admission concerts.
The hall sits in Angel Place, just off Martin Place in the city centre, so it is reached on foot from Martin Place station and nearby bus stops. The auditorium rests on rubber bearings that block street vibration and noise, and the air conditioning and lighting are treated to keep external sound out. Since June 2023 some concerts offer standing general admission.
The auditorium rests on rubber bearings that isolate it from street vibration and traffic noise, and its air-conditioning and lighting systems were treated to keep external sound out. The 1.8-second reverberation time is tuned for chamber music, while acoustic banners can be deployed for spoken word and amplified music.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,829 contributors worldwide.