With the relocation of 73-year-old Shanghai Concert Hall still going on, a new professional concert hall will open next month to ease the city's current lack of such facilities.

Relying on first-rate acoustics, microphones will not be used during performances at the new hall in the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, school officials said yesterday.

With government funding and self-investment, the school -- regarded as one of the best conservatories in China -- has spent 30 million yuan (US$3.6 million) on the 450-square-meter hall.

"It is a shame that microphones have to be used in many musical performances in Shanghai. That's not a good way to appreciate a musician's true artistry," said Hua Tianreng, conservatory vice president.

Currently, Shanghai has several so-called multifunctional theaters like the Shanghai Grand Theater and Majestic Theater that hold a majority of musical performances in the city. But their acoustics are not considered ideal.

Professional music auditoriums, like the Shanghai Concert Hall and Oriental Art Center, will not open until next year.

In order to meet international standards for music halls, the height of the new concert hall is designed as high as 13 meters and wood panels of three-centimeter thickness are applied to the walls.

The thick ceiling is made up of timber and plaster and welded seamlessly with the walls panels.

In addition, the hall is rectangular or "shoebox-shaped," like Vienna's Golden Concert Hall, whose shape is considered best for a music hall, officials explained.

The three-story building housing the hall also has two rehearsal rooms for orchestra and traditional music respectively.

Set to open on September 20, the 780-seat hall will hold solo-instrument concerts as well as those given by orchestras and vocalists. However, Hua admits it may not be able to hold operas and musicals because of different requirements.

A concert given by some of the best former and current students of the conservatory will mark the opening of the hall, followed by a series of shows, including an inter-national clarinet festival.

"Ticket prices for the performances at the concert hall will not be set very high, because we believe that it is our obligation to promote classical music to the people of Shanghai," said Hua.

(Shanghai Daily August 14, 2003)