Halle aux Grains de Toulouse (Toulouse, France)
Halle aux Grains de Toulouse
La Halle aux Grains is a symphonic concert hall located in the city center of Toulouse . It hosts the Orchester National du Capitole de Toulouse in residence.
The hall has a capacity of 2,200 people seated all around the orchestra. The stage has movable trays to quickly place a piano on stage, for example.
Located a stone's throw from the Canal du Midi, right in the center of the “pink city”, the Halle aux grains is, along with the Théâtre du Capitole, one of the major music venues in Toulouse. Known for its exceptional acoustics, it is distinguished by its hexagonal architecture, all of red bricks and pebbles.
Built-in 1861 to accommodate cereals transported by boat to Saint-Sauveur port, it served as a covered grain market until the 1940s. In 1952, bleachers were built there and the original market gave way to a hall. shows as diverse as rock concerts, variety concerts, circus, or boxing matches. Its particular acoustics have made it since the mid-1970s the landmark of the Orchester national du Capitole directed by Michel Plasson, which ensures the symphonic season of the hall and plays Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Gershwin, Mahler, Mozart or Stravinsky. Renovated in 2000 to better welcome the public, the Halle aux grains de Toulouse also sees the production of operettas, comic operas, great performers, and one-man shows during the Printemps du rire.