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Symphony Hall Online Exhibits

Casts of Characters at Symphony Hall

The 16 replicas of Greek and Roman statues placed in the niches around the walls of Symphony Hall are related in some way to music, art, or literature. The statues reflect the words of 19th-century Bostonian William Tudor, who dubbed “Boston, the Athens of America.” When Symphony Hall was built in 1900, Bostonians felt a strong connection between their city and Athens during its Golden Age. 

The statues are also important as part of the acoustical treatment of the Hall, providing uneven surfaces to diffuse sound waves. Symphony Hall appears to be unique among major concert halls in its use of classical sculpture in the interior of the concert hall.

The statues were cast by P.P. Caproni and Brother, Boston, makers of plaster reproductions for public buildings and art schools.

Apollo Citharoedus statue

Apollo Citharoedus (Vatican Museum, Rome)

Photograph by Jet Commercial Photographers