Interior decoration at the under-construction Shanghai Oriental Art Center in Pudong New Area will be finished by the end of next month, which will mark the completion of work on its main frame.
According to Zhang Xianping, vice director of the project, the center will hold its debut performance on December 31 as a prelude to the formal inauguration scheduled for July 1 next year.
Led by conductor Yu Long, the China Philharmonic from Beijing will stage its 2005 New Year's Concert as the prelude performance at the center's 1,979-seat concert hall.
Apart from the concert hall, the main body of the center will also include a 1,054-seat drama theater and a 330-seat odeum dedicated to experimental concerts. The three theaters can function at the same time to meet the requirement of different performances.
The center will bring in a bunch of trail-blazing facilities like China's largest organ and the largest roof drainage system in Shanghai.
"Pudong, as a modern, multifunctional district, is in urgent need of an advanced cultural venue. I believe with its cutting-edge design and high-end facilities, the art center will also become the city's new 'music coordinate,"' Zhang said.
Located at the intersection of Century Boulevard and Dingxiang Road, construction for the art center, covering 39,964 square meters, kicked off in March 2002.
The center, designed by French designer Paul Andreu who also drew the blueprint for China's National Theater in Beijing, has a total investment of around 800 million yuan (US$96.4 million) from the city government.