Venues
Opened in 1989, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre houses the two premier venues in the region -- its Concert Hall and Grand Theatre. Its Concert Hall is the home of both the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. Most local musicians, visiting orchestras and soloists also perform there regularly. On the other hand, operas, ballets and musicals are performed in the Grand Theatre.
The City Hall was built in 1962 and is the first formal culture venue in the region. The Concert Hall and the Theatre are located at the Low Block while the recital hall is in the High Block. Although its role as the premier venue has been succeeded by the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, it is still used for many orchestral concerts and recitals. In addition, its Concert Hall has an arguably warmer acoustics than the one at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
Kwai Tsing Theatre is Hong Kong's latest cultural venue. Designed primarily for staged performances, this theatre has a modernistic exterior and advanced interior facilities. Besides the 905-seat auditorium, there is an exhibition gallery, a lecture room and a dance studio inside.
Town Halls
Other venues include the Auditoriums at the Tsuen Wan Town Hall, the Sha Tin Town Hall and the Tuen Mun Town Hall. These similarly designed Auditoriums are modeled after the City Hall Concert Hall. They are mostly used by local artists but foreign musicians/orchestra do perform there a few times each year. They are all located at the heart of their respective districts.
The Hong Kong Coliseum, which looks like an inverted trapezoid from outside, is a multi-purpose venue used for pop concerts, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra's pops concerts and other special events.