Victoria Hall (Geneva)



The Victoria Hall is a 1,700-seat concert venue in Geneva. Mainly it is home to the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande but it also hosts performers in song, jazz and world music.

History
It was built in 1891–1894 by architect John Camoletti and financed by the British consul, Daniel Fitzgerald Packenham Barton, who dedicated it to Queen Victoria (and perhaps privately to Victoria-Alexandrina-Julia Peel Barton). Barton gave the hall to the City of Geneva in 1901.

The Victoria Hall was home to a wind band, the Harmonie nautique, before the founding of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande by Ernest Ansermet in 1918, and remained so until 1976 when Harmonie nautique ceased operating. During this period it was also used as a studio for recordings.

Arson caused a disastrous fire on 16 September 1984. Much original artwork was lost, including decorative paintings by Ernest Biéler, as was the massive original pipe organ. The building was then slowly restored, with a new and equally large organ being installed in 1993, and today it is registered on the cantonal list of heritage buildings. But the paintings were replaced by a contemporary work by Dominique Appia.

Description
The main entrance faces east. The auditorium has a parterre and two layers of balconies. The organ dominates the back of the stage.