The Cidade da Música is a cultural complex located in Barra da Tijuca

Barra da Tijuca

Barra da Tijuca is a famous neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, located southwest of the city on the Atlantic Ocean. Barra, as it is popularly known, will have most of the venues of the 2016 Summer Olympics, which will be the first edition held in South America. Barra is well-known for its...

 in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

, Brazil, which was originally planned to open in 2004. The formal inauguration is now anticipated for 2012, restyled as Cidade das Artes (City of Arts).

The project's R$515 million (approx. US$300 million) to the city of Rio caused much controversy. Originally budgeted at R$86 million, expenditures ballooned to five times more than a contemporaneous project, Rio's Samba City, which opened in 2006 at a cost of R$102 million (approx. US$60 million).

As the new home of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra and a main center for music, the Cidade da Música will be the largest modern concert hall in Latin America

Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages  – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

, with 1,780 seats. The complex spans approximately 90 thousand square meters and also features a chamber music

Chamber music

Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...

 hall, three theaters, and 12 rehearsal rooms. From the terrace there is a panoramic view of the region, from Barra's beaches to the Jacarepaguá

Jacarepaguá

Jacarepaguá , with a land area of is the 4th largest neighborhood in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2000, it had a population of 100,822, making it the 9th most populous neighborhood in the city...

 marshlands.

The building was designed by the French architect Christian de Portzamparc

Christian de Portzamparc

Christian de Portzamparc is a French architect and urbanist. He graduated from the École Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris in 1970 and has since been noted for his bold designs and artistic touch; his projects reflect a sensibility to their environment and the town is a founding principal of his...

and construction was funded by the city of Rio de Janeiro.