Concert Palace

The Concert Palace was erected in 1918, from private funds, to provide the city with a grand venue able to accommodate musical events. The concert hall had a capacity of 1200. In 1924, the building was bought by the city. Until 1978, when the Grieghallen was built, it held the regular Thursday symphonic concerts of the "Harmonien" Music Society and most of the festival concerts.

In 1981, the Concert Palace was converted into a cinema with 13 rooms (50 to 500 spectators).

During the closing ceremony of the Bergen Festival on 11 June 1961, the first ever performance of Canzona was given by the orchestra of the "Harmonien" Music Society played under the direction of Arvida Fladmoe. That concert opened with Solemn Polonaise by Johan Svendsen and closed with Grieg’s Concerto in A minor. Between those nineteenth-century giants, the young Arne Nordheim debuted with his orchestral work. On 26 May 1965, the same orchestra performed Aftonland for soprano and chamber orchestra at the Concert Palace.

On 1 June 1971, the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra played Floating at the Concert Palace.

On 21 May 1975, during the opening ceremony of the Bergen Festival, Peter Pears and the "Harmonien" orchestra under the direction of Krasten Andersen gave the first performance of Nordheim’s Doria for tenor and orchestra.