On the one hand, a signal was given to and for the region by the Philharmonie für Westfalen presenting itself confidently as a music center that does not fear even the closest competition. Architecturally, the concert hall follows, unlike, for instance, the round building of the Düsseldorf Tonhalle or the amphitheater hall of the Köln Philharmonie, in its basic form a simple rectangle and thus the model of the Vienna Musikverein. The concert hall with 1550 seats on the first floor recalls a shell that protects the music like a treasure, as the architects expressed it. State-of-the-art sound measurement methods ensure optimal acoustics.
The regular concert program is accompanied by initiatives such as the mini-festivals "Zeitinseln" or the engagement of residency artists like the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. The first pop subscription in a classical concert setting brings bands like "Kettcar" or "Kings of Convenience" to the concert hall. The guest performance list includes names like the New York Philharmonic Orchestra or the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Vesselina Kasarova, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Christine Schäfer, and Murray Perahia.
