Abravanel Hall, Concert venue in Downtown Salt Lake City, United States.
Abravanel Hall is a concert venue in downtown Salt Lake City featuring elegant interior design. The space is characterized by oak wood walls with raised panels, multiple tiers, and Bohemian crystal chandeliers adorned with gold leaf accents.
The venue opened in 1979 as Symphony Hall and was renamed in 1993 to honor Maurice Abravanel, the long-serving conductor of the Utah Symphony. The name change recognized his essential contribution to the region's musical development.
The hall's name honours Maurice Abravanel, Utah Symphony conductor from 1947 to 1979. Its opening concerts on 14–15 September 1979 were conducted by Stanisław Skrowaczewski, with Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra and Brahms's Fourth Symphony. The lobby displays Dale Chihuly's 30-foot red glass sculpture The Olympic Tower, bought in 2002 after donors raised $625,000 on condition it stay publicly viewable.
The venue accommodates around 2,800 visitors across multiple levels and includes elevators, wheelchair areas, and hearing assistance devices. These facilities make it accessible for a wide range of attendees.
The hall has no right angles: walls and ceilings are convex curves, because ninety-degree corners distort sound. Cellists and bassists are encouraged to drive their endpins into the stage so the wood itself resonates. Patrons reach the seats through sound-lock corridors that seal off lobby noise.
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