Inaugurated in February 1987, the Teatro Metropolitano José Gutiérrez Gómez was the dream of a group of business leaders and cultural figures in Medellín who sought to provide the city with a modern venue capable of hosting major music, opera, dance, and theatre productions. Named in tribute to one of the key entrepreneurs behind its founding, the theatre is now recognised for its sustainability philosophy, closely linked to public–private collaboration.

On the evening of 19 February 1987, Medellín opened a new stage for its artistic and cultural life. The Teatro Metropolitano José Gutiérrez Gómez welcomed thousands of spectators who gathered for the debut of the new venue, a modern brick building that realised a project initiated in 1972 by a group of Antioquian business leaders and cultural advocates.

The work chosen for the opening night was a classic of the repertoire: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, brought to life by more than 250 performers under the baton of Sergio Acevedo.

Since then, the theatre has hosted more than 6,000 performances of classical and popular music, opera, theatre, traditional and contemporary dance, and a wide range of other performing arts.

Its stage has welcomed ensembles such as the Academy of St. Martin in The Fields, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and the Emerson String Quartet, as well as renowned soloists including violinist Joshua Bell, cellist Mischa Maisky, tenor Juan Diego Flórez, and pianist Lang Lang, among many others.

Today, the theatre stands out for its audience development efforts, with initiatives such as Pasaporte #LaJoven, a programme designed to facilitate young people’s access to classical music performances and to encourage programming and co-creation encounters. It also supports local artists through the Asociación Medellín Cultural, a non-profit organisation that laid the foundations for the creation of the Teatro Metropolitano José Gutiérrez Gómez.

Medellín Cultural

The first half of the 20th century was a period of economic expansion for Medellín. The city became an important hub for trading raw materials such as coffee and gold. The textile, tobacco, and footwear industries also grew, and the population of Medellín tripled between the 1950s and 1970s, reaching more than one million inhabitants by the early 1970s.

It was in this same decade that a group of individuals linked to the business sector of the department of Antioquia and to the city’s cultural industry gathered to envision Medellín’s future as the 21st century approached. The available infrastructure for the performing arts and major productions was limited to a handful of traditional venues, such as the Teatro Junín (opened in 1924 and demolished in 1967), the Teatro Lido (opened in 1945), and the Teatro Pablo Tobón Uribe (opened in 1967).

Thus, in 1975, a group of business leaders met with the city’s mayor at the time, Fernando Uribe, to create Medellín Cultural, an association dedicated to organising and fostering a significant portion of the city’s artistic and cultural offerings.

At first, the association focused on supporting local talent through study scholarships that benefited artists such as conductor Alejandro Posada and pianist Sergio Posada, both trained in Austrian conservatories.

A project begins to take shape

The origins of the project to build the Teatro Metropolitano date back to 1976, when the first resources from Medellín Cultural were allocated to purchasing a 19,000-square-metre plot in the Alpujarra district, in the historic and heritage centre of Medellín.

However, the project lacked full funding. The available resources were donated by several major Colombian companies, including the Compañía Colombiana de Tejidos and Tejicóndor. According to the theatre itself, around “400 million Colombian pesos were still missing.”

At that moment, José Gutiérrez Gómez — one of the business leaders involved in the founding of Medellín Cultural in 1975 — stepped in. Affectionately known as “Don Guti,” he was an entrepreneur linked to organisations such as the Caja Agraria and the Asociación Nacional de Empresarios de Colombia (ANDI), which he chaired. He also spent several years at the Colombian Embassy in Washington before returning to the country and dedicating himself to investment banking.

Gutiérrez Gómez led much of the effort to secure a donation from the Banco de la República to cover the remaining funds needed to build the Teatro Metropolitano. The architectural direction of the project was undertaken by Medellín-based architect Ariel Escobar Llanos, based on initial designs by fellow architect Óscar Mesa.

In 1987, the theatre finally celebrated its inauguration. It quickly became the stage for artistic projects such as the Orquesta Filarmónica de Medellín and the contemporary dance company Danza Concierto, both supported by Medellín Cultural.

Since then, the theatre has maintained a diverse programme centred on its Temporada Internacional de Música Clásica, alongside major productions of opera, theatre, dance, and popular music.

A sustainability model

In 2001, the theatre was officially named Teatro Metropolitano José Gutiérrez Gómez in honour of the businessman who was instrumental in its creation and foundation — and who was also an avid classical music enthusiast and regular attendee of its performances.

Beyond its commemorative significance, the name reflects the theatre’s commitment to public–private partnerships as a core aspect of its development. Today, 95% of its funding comes from private income, following its philosophy of proposing investment opportunities rather than requesting financial aid.

One of the strategies adopted by the theatre has been to consult its strategic partners about challenges within their organisations, which are then addressed through artistic and pedagogical initiatives connected to the arts and supportive of corporate cultural development. Another ongoing effort is the creation of networks of trust among its main partners, fostering impactful alliances for Medellín’s cultural and educational spheres.

Simultaneously, the theatre promotes audience development through free-access experiences, educational and immersive activities, and guided tours. It also offers interdisciplinary workshops; for instance, in 2024 it organised early childhood music stimulation projects, a content and brand positioning workshop for young people, and even an itinerant concert exploring the influence of classical music on popular genres such as salsa and rock.

These initiatives aim to attract audiences from across Medellín to enjoy the theatre’s varied programming in its main hall, which has a seating capacity of 1,634. The theatre is also surrounded by key public spaces, including the Parques del Río — a major urban project reconnecting the city with the Medellín River — and the administrative centre of La Alpujarra, home to several public and heritage buildings.

The Teatro Metropolitano José Gutiérrez Gómez now looks to the future through an expansion project centred around the idea of becoming a “meeting space” and “engaging with its surroundings to integrate the area with new spaces filled with art and cultural expression that foster connection and meaningful recreation.”

This initiative is directly linked to the transformation that Medellín has undertaken “with, from, and for culture,” in the words of journalist and former Secretary of Citizen Culture (2005–2009) and Social Development (2009–2010), Jorge Melguizo.

Today, the Colombian city is known for integrating arts and culture into civic life through development plans and collaboration among a broad range of societal actors — from community organisations, NGOs, and universities to business groups and industry associations. It is a transformation in which the Teatro Metropolitano has played a crucial role through its commitment to the sustainability of cultural organisations.