Megaron Moussikis Athens

Megaron Moussikis Athens

The Megaron Moussikis (a.k.a. the Athens Concert Hall) is located on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue in Athens and created by the inspiration of the great Hellenic lyricist and founder of the "Friends of Music Association", Alexandra Trianti, for the conception of a special modern cultural center.

The study was commissioned by renowned Greek and foreign architects, as well as acoustics specialists. In 1991, the project became a reality and the Megaron Moussikis opened its doors to the public - inaugurated by the then President of the Republic, Konstantinos Karamanlis. It consists of 2 halls. The first hall is "Christos Lambrakis" (formerly "Friends of Music"), named by the President of the Association, with a capacity of 1,961 people, is used for recitals, concerts, operas, and conferences. It was designed by the Austrian acoustics specialist Heinrich Keilholz and has the honor to host the largest ecclesiastical organ in Greece, with 6,080 lumens - built by the German company Klais Orgelbau. The second hall, bearing the name "Dimitris Mitropoulos" (a musician who helped financially for the construction of the building) accommodates 494 people, and is used for Chamber Music and Dance performances.

In 2003, in the presence of Mr. Romano Prodi (President of the European Commission at the time), the at Megaron Moussikis opened its International Conference Center, which together with the older halls, created a multicultural center. While in 2004, the "Alexandra Triandi" Hall was offered to the audience with a capacity of 1,750 people for watching opera, ballet and other performances. During the same year, the "Nikos Skalkotas" Hall opened with 400 seats - where the audience at its first operation had the honor to enjoy the recitals of the famous pianist, Paul Badura-Skoda. Furthermore, in September of that same year, it was given to be utilized by both  Greek and foreign visitors the "Mousses Terrace", which is an extension of the interior spaces of the Megaron courtyard - where during the summer months concerts are held.

In the years that followed, various other facilities were added and completed, such as the large library "Lilian Voudouri" with a collection of 80,000 books and multimedia. New smaller rooms for conference, exhibitions, and banquets were built and a 3-storey underground garage for cars is available.

Moreover, the building follows and applies new technologies, both in the areas of music as well as functionality. An important pioneering initiative has to do with the fact that, as an organization, it first established ticket sales through computerization, from the very beginning of his operation in 1991.

The Megaron Moussikis is a gem of Greek heritage, a cultural center of high standards, simple and modern architecture - one of a few in the world - offering a high quality and reliable audiovisual spectacle to all who pass through its entrance, leaving only the best impressions. Don't forget to take a closer look at the famous sculptured "Clytemnestra", located outside of the Megaron. It is a composition made of Stainless Steel, Plexiglass and Neon Lights in combination with the use of letters. This is a piece in the context of abstraction and with references to technology, that projects dynamically in space. It has been crafted by the Hellenic artist, Chrisa Varda and delivered to the Megaron in 1992.