Helsinki Music Centre
Concert hall on Töölönlahti shared by two orchestras and the Sibelius Academy, with a vineyard auditorium.
The Helsinki Music Centre, known in Finnish as Musiikkitalo, opened in August 2011 on the Töölönlahti side of Mannerheimintie, between Kiasma, Finlandia Hall and the parliament building. It replaced the old Helsinki Exhibition Hall on the site and was designed by LPR Architects, who kept the mass low and sank much of the building below ground level so that it would not dominate its landmark neighbours. Green-tinted copper, glass and concrete make up the exterior, and the glazed foyer opens onto the park.
The main auditorium seats about 1,700 in a vineyard arrangement, with terraced blocks of seating surrounding the platform; the acoustic design was led by Yasuhisa Toyota. Five smaller halls, including a black box and a chamber hall, host recitals, jazz and teaching. The centre is shared by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, and its foyer also holds a music library and café open to the public.
Highlights
- Vineyard-style main hall of about 1,700 seats, acoustics by Yasuhisa Toyota
- Shared home of two symphony orchestras and the Sibelius Academy
- Five smaller halls, including a black box and chamber hall
- Glazed public foyer with music library and café on Töölönlahti park
