Its various stages, concert halls and exhibition spaces offer a manifold program of music, dance, theater and architecture.

It is also home to the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp,[1] the Flemish Architecture Institute (VAI),[2] the Study Center for Flemish Music (SVM),[3] the VDAB employment initiative for theatre technicians Sabbattini,[4] the Eastman dance company,[5] ChampdAction,[6] I Solisti,[7] detheatermaker[8] and the Spiegel String Quartet.

In 1958, by now composer Flor Peeters was general manager, the Ministry of Public Works commissioned architect Léon Stynen to design a complex of buildings.

In 1973 the governor of Antwerp, Andries Kinsbergen, proposed to include the public radio channel in the complex and the project was resumed.

New manager Eugène Traey (former chairman of the Queen Elisabeth Competition) hired Frie Leysen on December 1, 1979, to help prepare for the opening.

On November 4, 1980, the Cultural Center deSingel was officially opened, in the presence of King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola.

The Blue Hall is used mainly for classical music concerts and sees recurrent visits by conductor Philippe Herreweghe[22] and Collegium Vocale Gent,[23] pianist András Schiff[24] and his Building Bridges project for young pianists, big international orchestras or small chamber music concerto's.

In 2002 Minister for Culture Bert Anciaux commissioned Beel to realize the second phase of the project and to also incorporate parts of the graduate school of Antwerp, which is now called Artesis.