The refurbished facilities, comprising two pavilions and the main building dating from the turn of the nineteenth century, which was once a property of the Veterinary Institute, include two small-size concert halls, four educational rooms, a café, offices, and an art gallery.
To mark the occasion, Sinfonia Varsovia has launched a festival under the motto “New Opening”, with a programme featuring more than 100 events – symphonic, chamber music and jazz concerts, recitals, sound installations, workshops, educational and community-oriented activities. The festival runs until September 27.
The beginnings of Sinfonia Varsovia can be traced to the mid-1980s, with Yehudi Menuhin serving as its first principal guest conductor.
The director of the orchestra Janusz Marynowski described the grand opening as a milestone for an ensemble that has had no permanent home for all those decades, forced to hold rehearsals in cinema halls, schools and other venues.
What lies ahead now is the second stage of the project, which, in addition to the 1877-seat concert hall, comprises a 400-seat chamber hall, rehearsal rooms, cafes and restaurants.
The architectural design, the work of the Atelier Thomas Pucher from Graz in Austria, has been universally hailed for an ingenious way in which it aims to create a living and open space within the city, with its own atmosphere and a magical spirit.
The minister of culture and national heritage Marta Cienkowska expressed conviction that the new concert hall for Sinfonia Varsovia would become an important place on the cultural map beyond the capital city.
The second stage of the project is to commence this year, with 2030 a planned completion date.
Sinfonia Varsovia’s new venue is in the Praga district of Warsaw, on the right bank of the Vistula River.
(mk/jh)