No doubt where you attended your first concert or the one where you met that someone special will always be the venue that means the most to you. The place where music became a tangible experience, how big it made the music feel and how reality, if just for a little while, didn’t exist. But what of the rest? The ones that have transcended time and make all of our lists? We’ve selected our favourite venues from around the globe create your must-see list of the best music venues in the world.
Théâtre Antique d’Orange
As its name implies, this UNESCO World Heritage site was carved into a hillside in Provence, Orange, France in the first century AD. Originally a Roman theater-turned-Opera-venue, the ancient 338ft x 121ft stage wall features intricate stone bas-reliefs and the theatre itself 9,000 open-air seats.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Their slogan boasts “There’s no place better to see the stars”, and by that they mean not only the musical greats, but the ones above. The towering red rocks of Morrison, CO formed this acoustically perfect amphitheater 6,500ft above sea level in the heart of the Rockies. Unrivaled views and cotton candy sunsets acting as natural backdrops for Red Rock.
Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace
Less natural beauty, more pure Vegas camp, this is an homage to that Colosseum. Ironically inspired by the ancient Roman wonder, this modern spectacle is more than another City of Sin draw. Its awesome acoustics are in part thanks to a 4,100 capacity where no seat is more than 120 feet from the stage giving the illusion of intimacy. It also features North America’s larges LED screen and an incredible moving stage comprised of 10 lifts.
Sydney Opera House
So iconic it’s associated with the entire continent of Australia, the Sydney Opera House has garnered a World Heritage Site title and attracts not only opera but cabaret and circus acts as well. Several performance spaces reside under that incredible architectural feat of a roof, created especially to mimic its natural surroundings: sails of passing boats in the adjacent harbour.
National Centre for the Performing Arts
Fondly known as “The Giant Egg”, Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts in China perches on a man-made lake. Enter underneath, and emerge in one of three concert halls through which famous plays, operas, and ballets have passed.
Margravial Opera House Bayreuth
The epitome of opulent Baroque opera houses, the Margravial Opera House sits in the small town of Bayreuth, Germany. Ensconced in gold, frescoes, and ornate woodwork, the Opera House is most conserved in its original condition built to honour the marriage between Frederick the Great’s niece and a Bavarian Duke in 1748.
Carnegie Hall
No list of world-renowned opera houses would be complete without Carnegie Hall in New York City. It reformed the now-famous section of Upper Manhattan into a cultural center that beckons to young musicians and aficionados alike. The world’s greatest orchestras, conductors, and soloists have graced its stages since being built in 1981, making it without doubt one of the best music venues in the world!
Add to our list! Share with us on Facebook the one great opera house or musical venue that’s touched your heart.
What about bbc.co the Opera. House in Paris? In Vienna? You include Caesar’s Palace and neglect such fine venues as these in your list? Tsk tsk
Thanks for providing the obvious additions, Jeanette! Will ignore the public shaming, though, Caesar’s Palace is one of the most technically advanced theatres in the world. 🙂