Does the season change and you think of Vivaldi, do you have the feeling that you and Haydn would have been soul mates? You don’t have to go to Vienna to feel close to the Strausses, because Madrid is made for classical music. And we are not talking “only” about plans for music lovers, but orchestras, spaces in the capital that sound andante and concerts of all kinds. Put your favorite Mahler symphony in the background, because here we tell you everything you need to know about classical music in Madrid.
Table Of Contents
Spaces where classical music concerts are held in Madrid
1. National Music Auditorium
The name says it, but it is no wonder. Whether for its two imposing concert halls (Symphony and Chamber) or for being home to the National Orchestra and Choir of Spain and the National Youth Orchestra of Spain, the National Auditorium of Music is a must if we talk about classical music in Madrid. A reputation that has been forged (and continues to do so) thanks to its extensive program of concerts, festivals and cycles of large and small format. Performances throughout the year that have already counted with conductors such as David Afkham, Juanjo Mena or Anja Bihlmaier.
📍 Principe de Vergara Street, 146
2. Teatro Real
It had to be on the list. Especially if you are an opera lover, although they also offer recitals and symphonic concerts. With an International Opera Award for Best Opera House in 2021 and home to the Madrid Symphony Orchestra, essential works such as Tchaikovsky’ s Eugene Onegin, Mozart’ s Idomeneo or Verdi’ s La Traviata have been performed on its stage. Do you prefer chamber concerts? The Teatro Real also offers intimate performances by soloists of the resident orchestra in its program of Chamber Sundays, whose tickets have very affordable prices.
📍 Isabel II Square
3. Círculo de Bellas Artes
You’ve probably already heard about its incredible rooftop, its historic architecture or its great cultural offerings. But if there is something for which the Círculo de Bellas Artes also stands out (and a lot) is for its concert program. From chamber music to piano recitals or vocal music, it is also one of the stages chosen by Candlelight in Madrid to celebrate its well-known candlelight concerts. Ravel, Haydn, Brahms… melodies of eternal composers who have already lived (and continue to live) the walls of its Fernando de Rojas Theater.
📍 Calle de Alcalá, 42
4. Royal Palace
Besides being the photo we all have in our cell phones (most likely from the side and at sunset), the Royal Palace is an ideal place to enjoy classical music in Madrid. The annual appointment of the Musical Spring Cycle that is organized in the Puerta del Príncipe, the International Festival of Sacred Art in the Royal Chapel or the Chamber Music Cycle in the Hall of Columns with the Staridvarius of the Royal Collections are some examples of all its programming. Events that come from the professional hands of artists such as Parallel Quartet, Ballarte Ensemble or Leonor de Lera.
📍 Bailén Street
5. Madrid Athenaeum
No matter the date or the time, if you pass in front of the Ateneo de Madrid there will most likely be a classical music concert programmed for that day. Corina Feldkamp, Josu de Solaun, Emma Stratton? artists from sopranos to pianists or groups of professional performers are part of the history and future of this emblematic space that also hosts many of the Candlelight concerts in Madrid, making it a perfect place to listen to classical music of all kinds. Because yes, to take a look at its programming is, most likely, to end up having the inevitable doubt: “Okay, now which one do I choose?”
📍 Calle del Prado, 21
Main orchestras in Madrid
National Orchestra and Choir of Spain (OCNE)
Although the Orchestra has existed since the Spanish Civil War, the union between the Orchestra and the National Choir of Spain took place in 1971. Years of history that today translate into its own record label and an extensive trajectory of national and international tours performing repertoires ranging from symphonic and classical (Mahler, Verdi or Debussy) to Spanish music or contemporary premieres. With David Afkham as current principal conductor and Miguel Ángel García Cañamero as chorus conductor, the OCNE has also had guest conductors of the renown of Zubin Mehta or Gustavo Dudamel, among many others.
Madrid Symphony Orchestra (OSM)
The union between the professors of the Orquesta de la Sociedad de Conciertos (the first orchestra created in Spain) and the students of the conservatory in 1903 gave birth to the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid. With a history that goes beyond the years, in 1981 the OSM became the stable orchestra of all the shows of the Teatro de la Zarzuela, and since 1997 it has been the resident orchestra of the Teatro Real. Hence its wide operatic repertoire, although it is also part of social proposals such as the Orchestra-School or the Pedagogical Project of the Teatro Real.
Orchestra of the Community of Madrid (ORCAM)
With Alondra de la Parra as its chief conductor, the ORCAM is the current resident orchestra of the Teatro de la Zarzuela, but its history began in 1987, when it was founded with the aim of defending music as a fundamental right. Its staff is made up of 65 tenured musicians, who have toured nationally and internationally, playing a varied repertoire of symphonic, traditional choral and recent Spanish music.
Classical music events in Madrid
Chamber Sundays at the Teatro Real
A concert at the Teatro Real, with the soloists of its resident orchestra? And we don’t have to go into debt? It is not a dream, it is the reality of the “Chamber Sundays”. An initiative of the Teatro Real in which, from 13€ and on selected Sundays, you can enjoy a chamber concert by the soloists of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid. An ideal Sunday plan for classical music lovers who also love saving money.
Free concerts at the Fundación Juan March
From string ensembles with which to listen to Bartók to piano recitals that sound like Schumann, the Fundación Juan March offers a wide range of concerts throughout the year. And all of them are free of charge. Although most of the seats can be obtained online, there are also a number of tickets that are distributed at the box office in person one hour before the start of the concert.
Bach Vermut at the Auditorio Nacional
If you are one of those who think that where there is an organ, everything else goes, this initiative of the National Auditorium is for you. With a fairly affordable price that is usually around six euros, “Bach Vermut” offers organ concerts throughout the year on selected dates, with programs ranging from classical compositions to more modern ones. And yes, the “vermut” is not just because the name sounds good: the concert also comes with an appetizer.