Formerly called Victoria Memorial Hall, the Concert Hall was built between 1902 and 1905 in honour of Queen Victoria. The Memorial Hall played a significant role in Singapore’s history, serving as a makeshift hospital during World War II and as a venue for the inaugural meeting of the People’s Action Party in 1954. The Victoria Memorial Hall was renovated in the 1970s to serve as a concert hall. Today, the Victoria Concert Hall is the home of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
With 673 seats, the Concert Hall has retained much of its old world charm of classical proportions and ornamentation. In the latest refurbishment, the balcony overhang on the second floor was reduced and raised to free up volume and to enhance acoustics, simultaneously resulting in better views from all seats. A coffered ceiling has been installed to suit acoustic requirements and to harmonise with the proportions of the hall. A grand Klais pipe organ consisting of 2,012 pipes takes centre stage. The Concert Hall is wheelchair accessible in the Stalls area.
Adjacent to Door 4 of the Concert Hall is the Concert Hall Suite, which accommodates a standing capacity of up to 50 guests. Fitted with a marble counter for food and beverage services, it can be used as a private hospitality suite for VIP guests or opened up as an extension of the Concert Hall Main Foyer. Alternatively, it can be used as a holding area for performers as it links directly to backstage.
On the second floor, the Concert Hall Main Foyer contains a transparent spiral staircase that leads up to the Circle Foyer and Circle seats in the balcony. This minimalist structure makes the space less intrusive and more sensitive to the monument’s historical architecture.
Two Concert Hall Circle Foyers at Doors 5 and 6 lead into the Concert Hall Circle Seats and are accessible via a lift and spiral staircase respectively.