A huge white sail, 60 metres high, in the background the ocean (and the mountains) surrounding the largest of the Canard islands, Tenerife. This is the image which will greet the first audience at the new opera house designed by Santiago Calatrava which opens this evening with a concert by the Tenerife symphony orchestra.

It is the result of six years of work which in the end has satisfied all: musicians, conductors, architect (who described it as “an architectural promenade for a sculpture in which to listen to music) and client.

The new auditorium extends to cover a floor area of 24 000 square metres: 6700 square metres for an auditorium to hold an audience of 1700 with three independent stages, a hall for chamber music with room for an audience of 440 as well as a space for conferences and exhibitions. The remaining area is given over to gardens, piazzas and access.

The main priority has been obviously the acoustics, with a series of aerial sound reflectors that can alter acoustic conditions to suit different situations and a moving stage.

https://www.auditoriodetenerife.com