venues

A Royal Hall just like the figure to whom the Victoria Hall was dedicated, Queen Victoria!

Built between 1891 and 1894 and with a fine art facade, Victoria Hall is a true work of art. After suffering a fire in 1984, the Victoria Hall was restored with the addition of a contemporary work by Dominique Appia. On the ceiling, you can find personalities linked to the history of the building, such as Ernest Ansermet, founder of the OSR and even administrative advisor Claude Ketterer. Every detail is truly a masterpiece – restraint is not part of the hall’s vocabulary! Thanks to the acoustic qualities appreciated by music lovers, the hall is today dedicated to classical music and big names in the world of chanson, jazz and world music.

Have you ever thought of enjoying music not only in a listed historic monument, but in the middle of the Rhône? Our concerts at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices offer this unique possibility!

Built between 1883 and 1892, the primary function of the BFM was to supply water from the Rhône to the fountains, houses and factories of Geneva. In 1988, the building was classified as a historical monument. Today, it’s new role is to entertain you in its fabulous hall made entirely of timber: the Théodore Turrettini Hall. The hall accommodates up to 801 people in the stalls and 144 on the balcony.

The OSR had the privilege of celebrating its hundred-year anniversary at the BFM. Many events took place across the anniversary weekend, from "Petites Oreilles" concerts for children, and a series of evening concerts. And the OSR didn't stop there: it hosted the public to try out instruments, as well as a variety of other events such as lectures, workshops, dinners and more.

This season, come and discover our Chaplin Festival in honour of the famous director, screenwriter, actor and composer Charles Chaplin, with 4 film-concerts. Philippe Béran conducts The Kid and The Circus, while Timothy Brock, restorer of scores for the Chaplin family, conducts Modern Times and The Great Dictator, whose music will be given its Swiss premiere.
A festival for all the family, with daytime and evening screenings.

A room with many faces!

The Salle Marie Laggé, a space specially dedicated to the OSR, invites you through the secret entrance for artists and to descend into the depths of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande on Boulevard Carl-Vogt. There you will find a welcoming foyer, a room for rehearsals and lectures, and specially designed studios for our musicians to perfect their solo skills!

So, the space is unique? Yes, of course! The size of the Salle Marie Laggé guarantees superior acoustic quality and allows the OSR to keep its instruments in good condition for high quality performances. The series of concerts for “Little Ears" (Petites Oreilles) – for children from 4 years old – has been held in the Salle Marie Laggé since 2014. This series offers a gentle initiation into classical music with a small orchestra brought to life by actors, followed by a snack and the chance to try out the instruments. The space is particularly appreciated by school groups who use it for educational activities, with its size offering a warm, friendly learning environment. What better way to discover classical music?

The Théâtre de Beaulieu, the largest theatre in Switzerland, first opened its doors on 19 November 1954. At that time in Lausanne, it was what the Olympia is to Paris: a symbolic venue where the most striking stars of the second half of the twentieth century were always to be found on its stage. The research for creating this hall was entrusted to the architect Marcel Maillard. On the evening of its grand opening, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande took to the stage under the baton of its conductor at the time, Ernest Ansermet, with the assistance of pianist Clara Haskil. At the end of the concert, the chief conductor of the OSR publicly gave his unreserved approval to this theatre, praising in particular its acoustic qualities and the elegance of its proportions.

The theatre, under renovation since the summer of 2019, reopens its doors in September 2022. Audiences will enjoy even greater comfort and optimal reception conditions for national and international productions.

It now has 1,623 seats. All stage technology has been updated, including the installation of a motorised technical grill and a lighting bridge in the ceiling. The acoustics of the hall were also the subject of a specific study and a concept was developed with acoustic engineer Eckhard Kahle, from Kahle Acoustics. The shape of the new ceiling, raised for greater sound amplitude, the creation of a conch to accommodate the orchestras as well as the installation of active acoustics in the hall, will allow its acoustic potential to resound in full

François Bartholoni, a music financier and generous patron, provided Geneva with the first Conservatory established in Switzerland, which opened its doors in September 1835.

During its first year of operation, the institution, which included Franz Liszt among its teachers, taught at the Casino de Saint-Pierre, which it occupied until 1858, before joining the famous purpose-built building on Place Neuve.

Bartholoni's goal was to develop musical taste and practice in Geneva through quality basic education; however, from the end of the nineteenth century, the educational programme increased remarkably. The virtuosity classes were created in 1900 and continued to grow, led by renowned teachers.

However, despite the focus on studies that had become professional – in 1971, the Institution was reorganised into two sections, the School of Music (also including drama classes) and the Conservatoire Supérieur, the latter integrating, from 2009, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland – the Geneva Conservatory will always remain faithful to its primary mission which, from the same year 2009,  is carried out in close collaboration with the other schools of the Confederation of Geneva Schools of Music and provides the youth of our canton with a musical and theatrical training of high quality that is constantly evolving.

Join the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande at the Conservatoire de musique de Genève for a small chamber music program! Recently restored, the Conservatory has a superb hall - the Franz Liszt Hall - with state-of-the-art acoustics.

The Grand Théâtre de Genève is the largest artistic structure in French­speaking Switzerland. The Geneva opera stage hosts lyric and choreographic productions based on the stagione (season) model and not repertoire. There are also performances of concerts and recitals. The entire programme guarantees the Grand Théâtre visibility on a national and international level. The opera house has several teams, divided between artistic, technical (in workshops or on the set) and administrative professions. Every one of the 350 or so employees of the Grand Théâtre is essential in what they do to successfully create the artistic projects it presents to the public.

Today, people come to the Grand Théâtre de Genève to enjoy opera together, to discover a creation, to have dinner with friends or to dance during a "Late Night". There you will meet exceptional artists performing creations that challenge the world, taking you far away or nearby. The Grand Théâtre is a place for exploring the arts, meeting people and exchanging experiences.

Since the beginning, our driving force has been to enable each pupil to achieve their full potential in a warm and welcoming environment.

With a wealth of experience over the last 100 years, Florimont offers the best of the Swiss, French and international education systems.

Since the beginning, our driving force has been to enable each pupil to achieve their full potential in a warm and welcoming environment.

The Cité Bleue is a new international meeting place for the arts.

The ambition of this place is to promote the creation of shows bringing together the greatest artists in music, theatre, dance, visual arts and circus. At the crossroads of these disciplines, a more general humanistic desire is to place interdisciplinary exchanges between the arts and humanities at the heart of the project. Currently being renovated with contemporary equipment adapted to the needs of the artists, the brand new hall will be equipped with an acoustic technology (Constellation system) that is unique in Switzerland and will allow research and experimentation of new artistic possibilities.

Under the aegis of the Cité Bleue Foundation, the general direction has been entrusted to the Swiss-Argentine harpsichordist and conductor Leonardo García Alarcón. The choice of appointing such an important artist-performer as director of an artistic establishment is quite singular.

Over the course of the seasons, La Cité Bleue will offer musical theatre, pocket operas, chamber music recitals, educational activities, dance and circus, hybrid forms through an innovative approach to these disciplines. The future programming of La Cité Bleue imagined by Leonardo García Alarcón and his team is ambitious and innovative, nourished and stimulated by encounters, artistic practice and interdisciplinary exploration of the worlds of art.

At La Cité Bleue, the acoustics and the intimate setting will favour the transmission and the link between the artists and the public, breaking with the idea of a distant and sacred classical music to return to the simplicity of human emotion.

Photo : Leonardo García Alarcón in the new concert hall under construction.