In My View There’s a certain magic about live music that brings such joy

This week has seen us make our final announcement for 2023’s extended Live at The Piece Hall season, with multi-platinum selling charttopper George Ezra added to the stellar line-up. Like many of our announced artists, we know tickets are going to fly out for the Budapest and Shotgun singer, who has fans spanning generations.

I’m incredibly proud of the calibre and range of artists we are hosting this year. It’s our biggest and most diverse summer of music yet. As well as the partnership with promoters Cuffe and Taylor, which sees us host global talent like Sting, Madness, Queens of the Stone Age and Boygenius, we have programmed a number of other flagship music events as well. We’re bringing classical music to the courtyard, performed by the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra with the rescheduled Yorkshire Proms, which will offer northern audiences a comparable live experience to the revered

The Piece Hall, as a transformed event amphitheatre, is such a wonderful venue for live music.

Picture by Ellis Robinson. event at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Alongside this we have just announced a classical “Night at the Movies”. On this evening, the audience will be taken on a journey through the finest film scores, from Hollywood's golden age to today's modern greats.

We are also welcoming back local house heroes Dale Castell and Ellie Sax. These two summer specials will the biggest Halifax gigs yet for these stars who have come so far since keeping us all connected and entertained during lockdowns.

Live music at The Piece Hall was always part of the Trust’s vision. But why? Culture pays in so many ways. There’s a certain magic about live music, people coming together to experience something that moves them, which brings such joy. If we didn’t fully appreciate this already the isolation of Covid-19 made it crystal-clear.

The Piece Hall, as a transformed event amphitheatre, is such a wonderful venue for live music, how could we not consider spectacle and events to be a key part of our programme in such an amazing setting?

And it’s not just about The Piece Hall itself, the gigs bring so much economic benefit for the wider area. Music fans from near and far spend money in bars, restaurants and hotels – all of which helps bring Calderdale alive and sustains it.

So whether you’re dusting of your dancing shoes or taking your tux to the dry cleaners ahead of our classical concerts, I simply cannot wait to share the magic and joy of music with you all in the courtyard very soon!