Tonhalle St. Gallen

Tonhalle St. Gallen is a concert hall in the centre of St. Gallen, Switzerland, at Museumstrasse 25. The Art Nouveau building from the early twentieth century is the home of the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra and one of the city's key cultural addresses.

What is the Tonhalle St. Gallen?

The Tonhalle is a multi-purpose cultural centre. Symphonic and chamber concerts form the core of the programme, but the building also hosts banquets, meetings and conferences. That makes it a place that is busy well beyond concert evenings, serving corporate and social events during the day too.

When and in what style was it built?

The hall was constructed between 1906 and 1909 to designs by architect Julius Kunkler. Its look draws on Art Nouveau, the style that swept Europe around the turn of the twentieth century. Some listings give 1907 as the year of completion, but most sources place the finish at 1909.

Who has performed here?

In its early decades the stage was used by visiting orchestras, and the podium saw conductors such as Artur Nikisch, Richard Strauss, Felix Weingartner and Arturo Toscanini. From 1917 to 1944 the symphony concerts were led by Othmar Schoeck, one of Switzerland's leading composers of his day. Today the hall is home to the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra, which is run together with Theater St. Gallen by the cooperative Konzert und Theater St. Gallen.

What is inside?

The Grand Hall (Großer Saal) seats roughly 890 listeners. Smaller spaces are available too: the Kleiner Saal for about 250 people and the intimate Intermezzo for about 100. This mix suits everything from full orchestral concerts to chamber recitals and smaller gatherings.

Renovation and acoustics

In the early 1990s the building was thoroughly renovated: the stage was enlarged and facilities for conductors and artists were improved. It reopened in May 1993. Later work included an acoustic redesign in 2011 by Bosshard Vaquer Architekten.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Tonhalle St. Gallen? At Museumstrasse 25 in St. Gallen, in the canton of St. Gallen in north-eastern Switzerland, close to the city's museums.

Which orchestra plays here? The Tonhalle is the home of the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra (Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen).

How many seats does the main hall have? About 890, while the smaller rooms hold roughly 250 and 100 people.

Can I hold an event here? Yes, the venue also serves for banquets, meetings and conferences.

Is the building historic? It is a century-old structure from 1906 to 1909, renovated in 1993 and refined acoustically later, so it combines period architecture with modern facilities.