Pärnu Concert Hall
Seaside concert hall of 2002, home to the Pärnu City Orchestra and the Pärnu Music Festival.
Pärnu Concert Hall opened in 2002 on Aida street, a short walk from the old town and the beach, and was the first purpose-built concert hall completed in Estonia after independence was restored. The design by Jüri Okas and Marika Lõoke sets a plain rectilinear block of glass and pale cladding against the low timber houses of the resort, with a foyer that opens towards the park. The main auditorium seats around nine hundred and is used for orchestral, chamber and amplified programmes.
The hall is run by Eesti Kontsert, the national concert organisation, and is the base of the Pärnu City Orchestra. Its year-round programme mixes symphonic and chamber concerts with jazz, folk, choral music, touring theatre and productions for children. Each July the building becomes the main venue of the Pärnu Music Festival, founded by Neeme Järvi, which brings the Estonian Festival Orchestra and an international conducting academy to the town.
Highlights
- First purpose-built concert hall completed in post-independence Estonia
- Home stage of the Pärnu City Orchestra
- Main venue of the Pärnu Music Festival each July
- Programme spanning classical, jazz, folk and family shows
