Abravanel Hall - Archive

Abravanel Hall is home to the Utah Symphony and part of the Salt Lake County Center for the Arts.  Adjacent to Temple Square and the Salt Palace on South Temple Street this architectural masterpiece has become a landmark.  Besides symphony performances the hall also hosts numerous concerts and special events.

     Abravanel Hall was created specifically to provide an environment of acoustical excellence by Dr. Cyril M. Harris who was the acoustical consultant for the remodeled Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Abravanel Hall, formerly known as Symphony Hall, was so named in May of 1993 for the beloved Maestro Maurice Abravanel, conductor of the Utah Symphony and advocate for all the arts in Utah.  Abravanel Hall is actually a concrete building within a brick building.  Inside these two outer shells stands the beautiful concert hall.  Designed strictly as a concert hall the stage has no proscenium - rather, it is an extension of the audience.  The form of the hall is rectangular which is characteristic of the world's finest symphony halls (the Grosser Musikvereinssaal in Vienna, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Symphony Hall in Boston.)

Abravanel Hall first opened its doors in September 1979.

     In 1998, the Hall was expanded to include new restrooms, Ticket Office, and a meeting/reception room that are all wheelchair accessible.

     The Olympic Tower, a monumental work by noted artist Dale Chihuly, was specifically designed for the 2002 Winter Olympics. The Olympic Tower is on permanent loan to Salt Lake County Center for the Arts for exhibition in the lobby as a cultural legacy to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The legacy is possible due to the generous donations by local contributors. It is constructed of steel and 1,119 pieces of red glass parts and measures 27' by 10' in diameter.