Concerts are given in a number of halls throughout London.  The pre-eminent concert halls are:

The South Bank Centre ( www.sbc.org.uk ) is on the southern bank of the Thames near to Waterloo station and comprises :

The Royal Festival Hall (named after the Festival of Britain 1951) stages mainly symphony concerts.  The Queen Elizabeth Hall is about a third of the size of the RFH and there is the even smaller Purcell Room.  These latter two halls do mainly chamber music. There is also a programme of many other types of music. There are regular foyer performances and several cafes and restaurants as well as a bookshop.

Wigmore Hall.( www.wigmore-hall.org.uk )

This hall is in Wigmore Street which is close to Oxford Street in the West End. This is a beautiful building from the beginning of the 20th century with supern acoustics. The Monday lunchtime concerts are recorded for BBC Radio 3.

The Royal Albert Hall ( www.royalalberthall.com )

This is a magnificent round Victorian building erected by Queen Victoria in memory of her husband Prince Albert. It is situated in South Kensington opposite the Albert Memorial.  It is home to the annual Promenade concerts which are a feast of mainly classical music organised by the BBC. These last for about six weeks from early August to September.  For the rest of the year there are many classical and non classical concerts and other events of all kinds.

The Barbican Centre ( www.barbican.org.uk )

The Barbican Centre was opened in 1982 and houses a concert hall, theatre, cinema and library. It is the home of the world famous London Symphony Orchestra.

The Royal Opera House ( www.royaloperahouse.org )

A massive refurbishment has been undertaken in recent years mainly to improve systems backstage. This is the home of both The Royal Opera and The Royal Ballet. Both companies perform in repertory..