The Auditorio de Tenerife (Auditorium of Tenerife in English) was designed by architect Santiago Calatrava Valls. It is located on the Avenue of the Constitution in the Canarian capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain), and next to the Atlantic Ocean in the southern part of Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Construction began in 1997 and was completed in 2003. The auditorium was inaugurated on 26 September of that year with the presence of Felipe de Borbón, Prince of Asturias, and was later visited by former U.S. President Bill Clinton. The building is framed within the tenets of late-modern architecture of the late twentieth century.
The majestic profile of the auditorium has become a architectural symbol of the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the island of Tenerife and the Canary Islands. It is also regarded as the finest modern building in the Canary Islands and one of the most emblematic buildings of Spanish architecture. In March 2008, it was included by the post office in a set of six stamps (Correos) depicting the most emblematic works of Spanish architecture. It is one of the major attractions of Tenerife.
The Auditorio de Tenerife is situated in a central area of the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, near The Avenue of the Constitution, the Parque Marítimo César Manrique and the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Auditorium is located near the station Tenerife Tram.
Near the auditorium stand the two Torres de Santa Cruz, which are the highest residential buildings in Spain and the tallest skyscrapers of any kind in the Canaries. The auditorium and the towers are the most recognizable and photographed view of the city. The building stands on a plot of 23,000 m² of which the auditorium occupies 6471 m², divided into two chambers. The main hall or Symphony, crowned by a dome, has 1,616 available seats in an amphitheater and a stage with an opening of 16.5 meters and a depth of 14 meters. Organ pipes emerge from both sides of the pit, designed by Albert Blancafort (who has also been involved in the construction of organs at the Cathedral of Alcala de Henares and the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus on Gran Canaria). The auditorium differs from traditional designs, attempting to surround the listener with sound sources.
The chamber hall, with 422 seats, reproduces the symphony hall amphitheater on a smaller scale. In the lobby, accessible from two sides of the building, are the press room, a shop and cafe. The building also has a dozen individual dressing rooms, as well as rooms for hairdressing, makeup, costumes, etc. The exterior has two terraces overlooking the sea.
The building is normally lit in bright white at night, but more colorful lighting is used on special occasions. For example, on New Year 2007-2008 the auditorium was lit in white and yellow, and a clock was projected onto one wing of the building to mark the hours. On World Diabetes Day, the auditorium is illuminated in blue, and special lighting is also employed during the annual Cadena Dial Awards. The auditorium also participates in "Earth Hour," a campaign against climate change in which large buildings "go dark" for an hour to draw awareness to the cause.
The auditorium hosts various musical performances, such as Tenerife Danza, Atlantic Jazz, World Music and Great Performers in addition to hosting the Symphony Orchestra's season of Tenerife, the Tenerife Opera Festival and, together with the Teatro Perez Galdos in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the sessions for the Canary Islands Music Festival (Festival de Música de Canarias).
Auditorium facilities are designed to accommodate conferences, product launches and conventions. The auditorium building and its environment are also promoted as a location for filming commercials.
The Tenerife Auditorium was officially opened by the Prince of Asturias Felipe de Borbón on September 26 of 2003. The opening was covered by media from around the world, including newspapers such as the New York Times, Financial Times, The Independent, the Paris Le Monde, and Italy's Corriere della Sera, as well as international magazines such as Elle Decoration, Architecture Today and Marie Claire Maison.
The official Cadena Dial Awards have been held in the Tenerife Auditorium since 2007. The gala event brings together various national and international Latin singers including Laura Pausini, Chayanne, Amaral, Amaia Montero, Eros Ramazzotti, Beatriz Luengo, Camila, Estopa, Luis Fonsi, Manolo Garcia, Melocos, Melendi, La Oreja de Van Gogh, Pitingo, Rosario and Sergio Dalma. Familiar faces in show business, television and radio have presented the awards: Paz Vega, Santi Millán, Fernando Tejero, Marta Torné, José Mari Manzanares, Elena Rivera, Jose Ramon de la Morena, Pablo Motos and Gemma Nierga. One of the unique events at this gala is the singer's walk, a green carpet installed at the foot of the auditorium.
The awards reach across the Atlantic via the radio network Union Radio Kiss Radio in Colombia, Mexico, Chile and Costa Rica, Continental Radio in Argentina and Top 40 stations of Panama, Argentina, Guatemala and Ecuador. In addition, the gala is broadcast on TV Canaria and Cuatro TV.
The auditorium was visited by former President of the United States Bill Clinton, who visited Tenerife in July 2005 to attend a conference on the role of the island in the Tenerife Atlantic Logistics Platform. Since this is also the first visit by a former U.S. president to the Canary Islands.
The Auditorio de Tenerife and Santiago Calatrava have been criticized for several reasons: his change of location, various structural problems, budget increases, and an alleged breach of safety rules. Apart from the close resemblance that has the auditorio with the Sydney Opera House (Australia).
Despite this criticism the building is now considered an emblem of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and a distinctive symbol of the city and the island. It is also a significant tourist attraction.
