Chan Centre for the Performing Arts

Since opening its doors in 1997, the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts has become internationally renowned for its stunning design, unparalleled acoustics, and outstanding programming. Situated in UBC’s Arts and Culture District and host to classical, jazz, theatre, opera, world music, and more, the multifaceted facility stands as one of the world’s premier performing arts centres.

Designed by Bing Thom Architects, New York’s ARTEC Consultants, and Theatre Projects Consultants, the Chan Centre is a prime rental location—with new and enhanced capacity for state-of-the-art virtual programming—and home to rehearsals, performances, productions, and screenings by the UBC Department of Theatre and Film and the UBC School of Music. It’s not only a vital and vibrant part of campus life but also of Vancouver’s arts and culture scene.

Among its many past performers and guest speakers are Wynton Marsalis, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Renée Fleming, Dan Savage, Yo-Yo Ma, Sigur Rós, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock.

The Chan Sun Concert Hall, named after the patriarch of the Chan family, has served as a model for others around the world with its precise acoustics and beautiful surroundings. Inspired by the shape of a cello, the hall has blond-maple curved walls and a sparkling 22.7-tonne steel, cork, and wood canopy suspended from the ceiling that resembles a chandelier, Within this “reverberation chamber”, the canopy reflects sound back to the performers and the audiences, allowing the most subtle changes in musical colour or volume to be heard.

The Chan Centre is a place where artistic and academic disciplines meet and merge, inspiring new perspectives on life and culture.

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