Venue of the month

The UK’S best concert halls

11. Royal Concert Hall

Where: Nottingham

Opened: 1982

Seats: 2,499

Positioned on the site of the old Empire Palace of Varieties, the Royal Concert Hall is part of a complex that includes the Nottingham Theatre Royal. Completed in 1982, the striking building was designed by Renton Howard Wood Levin Partnership, the architects responsible for the Sheffield Crucible Theatre.

Thanks to its acoustical canopy, which can be raised, lowered and tilted backwards to suit each occasion, the hall caters for divers acts. The first performance was by

Sir Elton John, no less, while more recent visitors have included orchestras such as the Hallé and St Petersburg Philharmonic, rock bands, and solo artists ranging from singer Gary Barlow to German violinist

Arabella Steinbacher.

As part of its 2018-19 Nottingham Classics international concert series, the hall will host artists such as the Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra in October, former BBC Young Musician of the Year (and local resident) cellist Sheku Kanneh-mason in November and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra in March 2019. Other popular events include the monthly Sunday Morning Piano Series, whose programme welcomes pianists from across the globe.