is a

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention centres that may ...

in Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The name is coined from

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

and ''lit''. 'seat'. The vineyard-style concert hall, with a capacity of 1,997, was built for the eightieth anniversary of the foundation of the city.

History

The hall opened in July 2004 with a performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 8 by the

Tokyo Symphony Orchestra The or TSO, was established in 1946 as the Toho Symphony Orchestra (東宝交響楽団). It assumed its present name in 1951. Based in Kawasaki, the TSO performs in numerous concert halls and serves as pit orchestra for some productions at Ne ...

. In that year the orchestra, previously without a permanent home, took up residence. Well known for its

acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...

, the hall has seen concerts by

Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British-German conductor. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principal ...

and the Berlin Philharmonic and Riccardo Muti and the

Vienna Philharmonic The Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; german: Wiener Philharmoniker, links=no) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. It ...

. The bell to announce the imminent start of a concert at the hall is a recording of the bell at Salzburg Cathedral. At the first time, despite being over 300 kilometres from the epicenter, the hall was greatly damaged in March

2011 Tōhoku earthquake Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''El ...

. The ceiling collapsed. Much of the acoustical paneling and related material was destroyed. Ruptures to the automatic fire-sprinkler system caused widespread water damage. As a result, the hall was closed. Performances during much of 2011 were cancelled. Those sufficiently far into the future at the time of the disaster were rescheduled for other Kawasaki and neighboring-city venues, still under the auspices of Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall. A plan for repair and reconstruction was established. Funds were secured, partly from government sources. A fund-raising concert at the Salzburger Festspiele with

Anna Netrebko Anna Yuryevna Netrebko (russian: Анна Юрьевна Нетребко; born 18 September 1971) is an Austrian operatic soprano with an active international career and performed prominently at the Salzburg Festival, Metropolitan Opera, Vienna ...

, Piotr Beczala, and Ivor Bolton conducting the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg helped raise additional money. The restored hall is expected to first reopened on 1 April 2013. At the second time, in early 2020 when

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

began in Japan, Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall was officially temporarily closed and the performances were cancelled. The restored hall is also expected to second reopened on 1 October 2021 as the country ahead of the endemic phase.

Construction

* October 1983 - Kawasaki City makes concept Announcement * October 1989 - Development begins by the city's public services corporation * December 2003 - Kawasaki Central Tower is completed * July 1 and 3, 2004 - Grand Opening performances * March 2011 -

Earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

, collapse of ceiling, and hall closure * April 2013 - Expected hall reopening * March 2020 - Symphony Hall performance cancelled due to

* October 2021 - Expected hall reopening at second time as the country ahead of the endemic phase

Facilities

*1997 seats, including 10 wheelchair positions. *150 seat assembly hall, practice, study and exhibition rooms. *Pipe organ & other stage devices designed to support an orchestra

References

External links

*
Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall
{{Authority control Concert halls in Japan Buildings and structures in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Music venues completed in 2004 2004 establishments in Japan

History

Construction

Facilities

See also

References

External links