Revisiting the Ordway Concert Hall
Photos by Peter VonDeLinde | February 19, 2026
“This one-point perspective captures the scale of the space and how all the design elements relate to each other,” says VonDeLinde. “I love how the lines of the composition can be read as both converging toward the stage and radiating outward from it.” Photo by Peter VonDeLinde.
POSTCARD
The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts’ award-winning Concert Hall, designed by HGA, turned 10 in 2025. Earlier this winter, architectural photographer Peter VonDeLinde visited the space after a St. Paul Chamber Orchestra rehearsal.
“I was immediately struck by the height of the space,” says VonDeLinde. “The undulating wooden curves of the ceiling draw the eye up to the high balcony, mimicking a sound wave being carried aloft. Despite the spaciousness, there’s a distinct feeling of intimacy in the theater. Also, a sense of quiet—not just in the silence of an empty performance hall but in the restrained and balanced use of materials and design elements.
Image 1: “This corner vignette brings together all the primary design elements of the theater and highlights the dramatic curves of the ceiling wave,” says VonDeLinde. 2: “A vignette that captures the precision of the detailing and craftsmanship, as well as a moment of warmth in the mostly white interior.” 3: “This is a less obvious composition that also brings together all the major design elements. I was drawn to the angularity of the balcony as a counterpoint to the curves that dominate most of the design.”
“It’s the rare theater that doesn’t distract from a performance, nor does it fade into the background,” VonDeLinde adds. “It simply elevates the entire experience, both visually and acoustically.”
Soon after its opening, the Concert Hall won a 2015 AIA Minnesota Honor Award—the state’s most prestigious award for building design. Last year, in their ratings of 53 Minnesota music venues, Star Tribune music critics Jon Bream and Chris Riemenschneider gave the Ordway Concert Hall one of the only two A+ grades they awarded (the other went to First Avenue).
Our Postcard department presents artworks and photographs that capture indelible architectural scenes from across the Upper Midwest. Special thanks to the Ordway’s Connie Shaver and Julia Erickson for their assistance with this shoot.
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