Cadillac Shanghai Concert Hall (Shanghai, China)
Cadillac Shanghai Concert Hall
![Cadillac Shanghai Concert Hall](https://gocomgo.com/gallery/1200x600/theatres_1113_1681502672.jpg)
The Cadillac Shanghai Concert Hall occupies a small (compared to the Grand Theatre on the other side of Renmin Dadao) historical concert building near the Dashijie metro station. First opened in 1930, it was relocated 66 meters to the south-east of its original location in 2003 and completed some further renovation work in 2020. It houses all kinds of music and dance in its spacious, 1,000+ seat hall space.
Shanghai Concert Hall was formerly known as Nanking Theatre, built in 1930 and inaugurated on March 26 of the same year. In 1950, it was renamed Beijing Cinema. In 1959, it adopted its current name Shanghai Concert Hall and went on to has gradually become one of the most favored music venues in China. Due to the urban planning, a relocation and renovation project of SCH began in September, 2002, after which the concert hall was moved southeastward for 66.46 meters and elevated for 3.38 meters. It can be seen as a miraculous event in Chinese architectural history. After the relocation, it reopened on October 1, 2004.
As the first western classical building in Shanghai designed by Chinese architects – Robert Fan and Zhao Chen – it boasts varied and layered decorations, well-proportioned Roman columns. Arched doors and hallways mostly built with white marble. The ocean blue vault which is resplendent is engraved in gold. There are lounges on both floors. Before the People’s Republic of China was founded, the concert hall had been mainly used for movies screened, and holding performances such as acrobatics, circus shows and Chinese operas. It was also the first cinema in Shanghai to play foreign films.
As the first dedicated concert hall in China, Shanghai Concert Hall has been a landmark of Shanghai. It focus on chamber music with various music genres, including classical music, jazz, pop music and Chinese folk music, etc. Hailed as “a palace of classical music, a window for promoting the beauty of music and a base for popularizing music” by Shanghai citizens, the hall has been putting into practice its concept “Music for Everyone” by holding more than 500 top-notch concerts and over 100 charity events every year. The annual attendance exceeds 200,000.
Shanghai Concert hall is are an important channel for music lovers in Shanghai to follow and enjoy the latest and world-leading performances. Since its inauguration, Shanghai Concert Hall has hosted world-renowned ensembles like the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Camerata Salzburg, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Juilliard Quartet, Hagen Quartet, Emerson String Quartet, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, and Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir; conductors like Mariss Ivars Georgs Jansons and Christian Thielemann; violinists like Isaac Stern, Salvatore Accardo, Pinchas Zukerman, Kyung Wha Chung, Maxim Vengerov, Vadim Repin, Leonidas Kavakos, and Joshua Bell; cellists like Yo-Yo Ma, Mischa Maisky, and Jian Wang; pianists like Fou Ts’ong, Alicia de Larrocha, Murray Perahia, Maurizio Pollini, and András Schiff; major figures in early music like Jordi Savall; and other masters and famous musicians like accordionist Richard Galliano and ten-time Grammy winner and singer Bobby Mcferrin. All of them appeared on the stage of Shanghai Concert Hall with memorable performances.
On August 28, 2017, Cadillac acquired the title sponsorship of Shanghai Concert Hall.