Tag Archives: Opera House

Singapore Chinese Orchestra – making music full of heat and soul

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The Singapore Chinese Orchestra or the SCO is Singapore’s only professional and internationally recognized orchestra. The 70 member Orchestra is situated at the Singapore Conference Hall since the year 2001 and is led by Music Director Tsung Yeh. The many heart warming performances staged by the talented and passionate musicians of SCO have moved many throughout the years. If you are looking to stay at one of the best Singapore Hotels available, an ideal choice would be accommodation options provided by Millennium Hotels and Resorts. Providing some of the most lavish and hospitable Hotels in Singapore, Millennium Hotels and Resorts offer star class amenities together with superior service to make your holiday a truly memorable one.

Australia’s most beloved icon of the modern age: the Sydney Opera House

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The very mention of Sydney conjures up the now iconic image of an elegant construct resembling a cluster of pristine sea shells gleaming in sharp contrast to the sparkling blue backdrop of the Sydney Harbour. In the eternal tug-o-war between Sydney and Melbourne for the title of “Australia’s arts capital”, Sydney arguably wields the definitive trump card in its possession of the Sydney Opera House, which UNESCO declared “one of the great iconic buildings of the 20th century” when it listed it as a World Heritage Site.

Situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, this pride and joy of the Australian people was a dream very long in the making. Originally commissioned in the late 1950s to a young Danish visionary named Jørn Utzon, OVERVIEW
the building of the Sydney Opera House was a labor of love that spanned over a decade. It was finally unveiled to the masses in 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II. Since then, the venue has become one of the busiest performing arts centres and tourist hubs in the world, drawing 7 million visitors each year.
The Sydney Opera House is actually comprised of six separate buildings of a modern expressionist design. The unique roofing is a structure of six interlocking vaults forming aesthetically pleasing shell-like shapes, covered in a cream tile that glows white in the distance. The two largest vaults shelter the Opera Theatre and Concert Hall, with the smaller “shells” housing the Drama Theatre, Playhouse, Studio and Utzon Room cluster around them. The amphitheatre-like Forecourt is a seventh performance venue utilized for outdoor performances. The architect Jørn Utzon was awarded the Pritzker Prize, the highest honour in architecture, for this triumph of human achievement.
The Sydney Opera House is the home and promoter of the four key resident performing art companies – the Sydney Symphony, Opera Australia, the Australian Ballet and the Sydney Theatre Company. It also hosts more than 700 diverse artistic and cultural events each year, for audiences of all ages.
Visitors will do well to find accommodation within the city’s central business district in order to ensure the best possible access to the Sydney Opera House, as well as Sydney’s other attractions. Sydney Apartment Accommodation is abundant within the city centre, as well as serviced apartments Sydney. Somerset Darling Harbour, in particular, is a choice accommodation for business and leisure travelers wishing to tour the city with the maximum of ease and comfort.

Guangzhou by Night

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Better known as the South Gate of China, Guangzhou is a lively city with lots to see and do. The famed capital of Guangdong province, Guangzhou also acts as the political, cultural and economic hub. Guangzhou is strategically located in close proximity to Hong Kong, Macau and the South China Sea. It is one of China’s first open cities and is also one of the most economically developed.

Guangzhou is a haven for the leisure hunter since it offers countless tourist attractions. Bright Filial Piety Temple, Yuexiu Park, The Pearl River, White Cloud Mountain, Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family are just to name a few. Shopping and dining are also limitless in this vibrant metropolis. Since Guangzhou is one of the first open Chinese cities it is an initiator for introducing international fashion, lifestyles and trends to the country. Therefore when it comes to entertainment, Guangzhou is a groundbreaking city.

Those health conscious travellers can head to any of the numerous bowling clubs, golf courses or even tennis courts available right throughout the city. The impressive Karaoke parlours as well as pubs are ideal to enjoy a relaxing time out in the night. After the sun goes down travellers visiting Guangzhou can even head to the Pearl River and enjoy a boat ride complete with picturesque night time views. This memorable cruise generally begins at the Xidi Dock and ends near the Guangzhou Bridge.

A favourite thing to do in this extraordinary city is to listen to the famous Yue Ju also known as the Cantonese Opera. For the finest bars and pubs in town visitors will have to head to Huanshi Lu, Bai’e Tan or Binjiang Lu which are the most well known bar streets in the city. Binjiang Lu Bar Street is known to offer the best in scenery since it is positioned by the bank of the Pearl River. Located in the heart of the city is the Huanshi Lu Bar Street and the exotic Bai’e Tan Bar Street can be found near the White Goose Pond.

The French pub Amigo is one of the best pubs to visit other interesting night time venues in Guangzhou include 23 Club, Baby Face, Bridge House, Party World, China Plaza Theatre and Yonghan Cinema.

To explore the many diverse and distinctive tourist attractions in Guangzhou, the best option is to stay at a hotel in Guangzhou such as the well equipped Ascott Guangzhou that enjoys close proximity to many of the nightlife options in the city. The decision will undoubtedly make your nightlife in Guangzhou all the more enjoyable and memorable.

Princess Theatre, one of Australia’s most beloved theatre venues

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Regarded as one of Australia’s most beloved landmarks, Princess Theatre hosts world class stage dramas and musical productions like Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Mama Mia!, The Sound of Music and The Producers. This theatre is the second building in the same site that was used for entertainment for a period of 135 years. The first building was Astley’s Amphitheatre that was opened in 1954 and the present theatre was opened in 1886 with the name christened as Princess Theatre. The theatre has been refurbished several times after this period and today it boasts as one of the theatres with world’s first sliding roof and ceiling with state of the art electric stage lighting.
It is also said that the theatre is haunted by a friendly ghost named as Federici who died after a performance of the opera, ‘Faust’. As an honour a seat in the third row dress circle is kept empty since it is regarded as a sign of good luck to see him in the theatre. His appearance has been witnessed by many staff in the theatre. This theatre’s grand Victorian style elegant foyer and stairway is compared to that of the Paris Opera. The theatre has a seating capacity of nearly 1500 with other modern facilities for the visitors as well. This placed is also used as the venue for Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Visitors also have the luxury of dinning in the Melba or Marriner rooms before they visit to see a musical production that takes place in the theatre. While Princess Theatre is the ideal place for a perfect evening of entertainment, visitors also have the luxury of entering into a perfect mood of relaxation at a Spa in Melbourne. One of the best spas would be Chuan Spa Melbourne.

Walt Disney Concert Hall, A Place To Remember

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The Walt Disney Concert Hall is situated at 111 South Grand Avenue, Downtown Los Angeles, California in the Los Angeles Musical Center. The Walt Disney Concert Hall is the 4th hall at the Los Angeles Music Center. This entertainment facility has a capacity to hold 2, 265 people and is the home of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra. The Walt Disney Concert Hall is located between Grand Avenue, Hope Street, 1st Street and 2nd Street.
The cost of construction of the Walt Disney Concert Hall is estimated to be about $274 million. The construction of the Walt Disney Concert Hall started in December of the year 1999 and was completed in 2003. Yet the initial ground work of the project was started in 1987. The launching of the project began after the widow of Walt Disney, Lillian Disney, donated $ 50 million. The architect who designed the Walt Disney Concert Hall was Frank Gehry, who completed the designs by 1991 however due to lack of funds the constructions was brought to a halt during the years 1994 to 1996. The Walt Disney Concert Hall was opened to the public on the 23rd of October 2003. The acoustics of the hall were designed by Yasuhisa Toyota.
While visiting the Walt Disney Concert Hall is would be recommended to stay at one of the Pasadena Hotels. Out of the many hotels in Pasadena a good favorite would be the Langham Hotel Pasadena.