New Building of Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra to Be Completed by 2017

The concert hall of the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra will be opened in the beginning of next year, Macedonian Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska said Tuesday while visiting the construction site.

The new edifice has a modern look and architectonic and acoustic features prepared in line with world standards. Despite the two halls (the large one featuring 1,041 seats and the small one able to fit 306 seats), the future home of the philharmonic orchestra will also have rehearsal spaces and administrative offices, all functionally connected on three levels.

According to Kanceska-Milevska, the new building represents an architecturally unique building.

"It's pleasing that the construction is taking place in line with the set dynamics and we expect that the building will be opened in January 2017, and the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra will finally have its own home that it has been waiting for a long time. The work on the roof construction took a considerable amount of time because it is very specific, and such a rooftop has never been built before in Macedonia. The edifice astonishes with both its exterior and interior looks. The program goals and the demands of the employees at the philharmonic orchestra have been respected, and they will offer the presence of many world ensembles that will come here," the culture minister said, adding that the official opening will entail a surprise for the public.

The creative solution to the building was the work of architect Viktor Mihajlov, while the interior and the technological answer to the edifice's acoustic aspect is the work of Yorg Kumel, one of the most famous acousticians in the world.