Benaroya Hall is the home of the Seattle Symphony in Downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. It features two auditoria, the S.
- Venue
- Benaroya Hall
- Town
- Seattle, US
Benaroya Hall is the home of the Seattle Symphony in Downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. It features two auditoria, the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, a 2,500-seat performance venue, as well as the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall, which seats 536. Opened in September 1998 at a cost of $120 million, Benaroya is noted for its technology-infused acoustics designed by Cyril Harris. Benaroya occupies an entire city block in the center of the city and has helped double the Seattle Symphony's budget and number of performances. The lobby of the hall features a large contribution of glass art, such as one given the title Crystal Cascade, by artist Dale Chihuly. Since 2007, Benaroya Hall has hosted regular collaborations between the Seattle Symphony and popular music artists as part of its pops program. Performers have included notable local and national acts such as Brandi Carlile, Macklemore, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Nancy Wilson, Thunderpussy, and SYML. These concerts combine popular music with symphonic arrangements and aim to broaden the hall’s and the orchestra’s audience. Nonclassical performances, including pop collaborations, live film scores, and video game music, account for approximately 30% of the Symphony’s revenue and often attract new listeners to classical programming. In April 2025, Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii performed three sold-out concerts at Benaroya Hall, featuring Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and receiving multiple standing ovations. It was Tsujii’s third appearance in Seattle, following earlier performances in 2013 and 2023. Benaroya Hall is named for noted philanthropist Jack Benaroya, whose $15.8 million donation was the first and largest of many for construction of the facility. The hall was designed by LMN Architects of Seattle, and was awarded the National Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects in 2001. The structural engineer on the project was Magnusson Klemencic Associates. The building sits directly above