11. Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia | Performing Arts Center
Taking on the resemblance of ornate headgear this performing arts venue was designed by Santiago Calatrava and is located in Valencia, Spain. Anglicized as “Queen Sofía Palace of the Arts” this opera house is 14 storied and is deemed to be the tallest opera house in the world.
The structure of the building is formed by curved metallic roofs that house four auditoriums.
12. Foro Boca
The city Boca Del Rio, in the Mexican state of Veracruz, plays host to Foro Boca, a concert hall designed by Rojkind Arquitectos. The play of concrete volumes and sophisticated interiors make it almost impossible to recognize and assign formal functions to this space making it one of the more subtle and effortless spaces designed to house performing art events.
Situated on the banks of the Jamapa river, the structure elegantly blends into the calm landscape of the water body and houses a large orchestra hall with a capacity of 966 seats and a smaller concert hall with a seating capacity of 150 seats.
13. Guangzhou Opera House
The Guangzhou Opera House was designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and is located in Guangzhou, China. It has been designed to resemble the shape of two pebbles on the banks of the Pearl River where the opera house is located and houses an 1800 seat theatre, a 400-seat multipurpose hall, and rehearsal facilities.
The interior of the auditorium looks almost magical with its lighting systems and molded glass-fiber-reinforced gypsum (GFRC) cladding. The exterior is cladded with granite and glass and the form of the building takes inspiration from the natural landscape of river valleys and how they change shape with erosion.
14. The Bolshoi theatre
Built-in the Neo-Classical style of architecture, the Bolshoi Theatre is one of the most prestigious theatre companies in the world. Its main theatre building was designed by architect Joseph Bove and is located in Moscow, Russia.
Despite going through a series of repetitive fires and reconstruction of its main building the Bolshoi theatre established itself as a historic landmark in the world of theatre and attracts large volumes of audiences to witness the charm of its historicity.
15. Philharmonie de Paris | Performing Arts Center
This complex of concert halls is located in Paris, France. The symphonic concert hall designed by Jean Nouvel is stationed at the center with a seating capacity of 2400. Iconized by the design of its unique form, the envelope covering the main auditorium takes center stage while the rest of the exterior features elements in a contrasting matte texture.
16. Musikverein
The Wiener Musikverein, commonly called the Musikverein, is a concert hall in Vienna, Austria. Its construction dates back to the year 1863 when it was set up as a concert hall by the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna.
It was designed in the Neo-Classical style by Danish architect Theophil Hansen to house a concert hall and a chamber music hall. This performing arts center is particularly known for the excellent acoustical abilities that its main concert hall—the Golden hall—has to offer.
17. Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
Popularly known as Elphi, the Elbphilharmonie is a concert hall in Hamburg Germany, situated on the Grasbrook peninsula of Elbe River. The bottom portion of the concert hall as can be seen is a structure made in brick, which was originally a warehouse, and was retained as the base of the new concert hall construction.
The new building that sits on top of this brick structure has a wavy exterior glass facade and houses three concert venues. The great concert hall is embedded between residential units and a hotel which occupies spaces rented out to other organizations.
18. The Verona Arena
The Verona Arena is a first-century Amphitheater that is still in use today and is one of the largest open-air theatres in the world. Simply by the configuration of its shape, orientation, and arrangement of seating spaces, it is a perfect space for a range of performances. The entire arena is made in pink and white stones from nearby Valpolicella.
When designed initially, it housed three tiers of arches along the border with only two surviving to date. Back in the day, the arena could seat over 20,000 people while staging a variety of performances and continues to host world-renowned artists from the world over.
19. London Royal Albert Hall
One of London’s most valued icons, the Royal Albert Hall is a historic concert hall of the city. It was designed and constructed in the Italianate architecture style and has been in operation since the year 1871.
The main concert hall has an elliptical plan and is roofed with great glass and a wrought-iron dome. The acoustics of the Royal Albert Hall had a major downfall which led to an innovative solution that is now probably one of its most striking features which is the hanging of fiberglass acoustic diffusers (fondly nicknamed ‘mushrooms’) from the auditorium ceiling.
20. Paris Palais Garnier | Performing Arts Center
This 1979 seat concert hall is a marvelous piece of architecture the city of Paris has to offer. The opera was constructed in what is named the Napoleon III style with the structural walls made entirely as masonry walls with concealed iron floors, vaults, and roofs.