TONALi SAAL

TONALi SAAL is a 100-seat concert room in Hamburg’s Grindelviertel, built inside a former horse stable. Its scale makes the draw immediate: a close, seated encounter with artists in high, whitewashed, beam-lined rooms, plus programming shaped with young cultural producers as well as performers. The result sits between a classical recital hall and an experimental concert club, with a calendar designed to test formats as much as present repertoire.

From carriage house to concert club

Built in 1890 for eight horses and a carriage house, the Kleiner Kielort ensemble had a working life before music: rope making occupied the forecourt around the turn of the century; the site belonged to liquor entrepreneur Henry Loebel until 1923, then to the Guggenheim family’s spirits and confectionery business through 1937. Later uses included a photo studio, television studio, design academy and rental studio. TONALi converted the space into its own hall in January 2018.

Its opening on January 24, 2018 paired violinist Lisa Batiashvili with TONALi17 finalist Elene Meipariani and pianist Milana Chernyavska for NDR Kultur’s Foyerkonzert on tour, with works by Prokofiev, Debussy, Bartók and Skweres. In 2020, the venue received Clubkombinat Hamburg’s Best New Club award, a marker of how swiftly this compact room entered the city’s club landscape.

A participatory room for close listening

Classical music anchors the programme, joined by chanson, multimedia performance, readings and music theatre. TONALi’s booking model also functions as training: young members of the TONALi CREW work with musicians from the Bühnenakademie and TONALiSTEN network to develop events, while guest engagements widen the bill. Expect fixed seating for 100, an in-house bar, a terrace, and adaptable light, video and sound equipment; the room suits focused recitals, conversational shows and ideas that blur concert and performance.