One of these spaces is the exact same size as the Opera House stage on the other side of the street to allow rehearsals for opera and ballet. The organ is named after the manufacturer, Fratelli Ruffatti, who is based in Padua, Italy.ĭavies Symphony Hall also contains three separate rehearsal spaces in the Robert H. When installed the organ was the largest concert hall organ in North America and has 9,235 pipes and 163 ranks, the largest of the pipes being more than 32 feet high, the smallest being the same size as a ballpoint pen. The Fratelli Ruffatti electro-pneumatic pipe organ was added to the hall in 1984. This was carried out by Kirkegaard Associates, costing $10 million. In 1992, 12 years after initial construction the hall was renovated to improve its acoustics. The inner performance space is contained within it’s own building, seperate to the lobby. There are also adjustable fabric banners around the auditorium which change reverberation time from 1 to 2 1/2 seconds.Īnother main feature of the hall is that the interior is split into seperate buildings. Above the stage are convex acrylic reflecting panels that are movable and means the acoustics can be modified to suit the orchestra and audience. The acoustical architecture of the concert hall has several features, as well as modifications made after the initial construction to improve it’s result.

The design of the concert hall has been praised both for it’s exterior and interior. The hall was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Pietro Belluschi, with acoustic consultants Bolt, Beranek and Newman. Part of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center and built in 1980, you can enjoy an all year round schedule of classical concerts and other events.Ĭlick here to get tickets and see the concert schedule at Davies Symphony Hall.īefore the hall was built the San Francisco Symphony performed at the War Memorial Opera House which they shared with the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet, however once Davies Symphony Hall was built it allowed the Symphony to have a full calender of performances. Davies Symphony Hall is the permanent home of the San Francisco Symphony and has 2,743 seats.

War memorial opera house maps