Enter stage left - first concert hall in 100 years
PLANNERS HAVE granted planning permission to the first concert hall to be built in Edinburgh for a century. According to IMPACT Scotland the body which is delivering the new cultural venue, the £75 million Dunard Centre “will fill a recognised gap in the region’s cultural infrastructure and provide a platform for local, national and international musicians to perform to audiences in the very best environment”.
Part of the funding for the new concert hall is to be sourced from the City Region Deal, and some of the funding is from the Dunard Fund, a major philanthropic donor in the city under the direction of Carol Grigor.
The new building will be the permanent home of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and will also be used by the Edinburgh International Festival. The promise is that a new building like this will strengthen Edinburgh as a festival city and it will also be the main location for National Youth Choir Of Scotland as well as an educational hub. The building will have a 1000 capacity auditorium with the capacity for live streaming, digital capture and broadcasting, flexible multi-purpose rooms for education, conferencing and hospitality, a foyer with informal opportunity for performance and a café/ bar with indoor and outdoor seating.
Fergus Linehan, Festival Director and CEO of Edinburgh International Festival and co-chair of IMPACT Scotland, said:“The Council’s decision is fantastic news for the city and for music in Scotland. Edinburgh is a city famous for its cultural life and home to worldrenowned arts festivals which generate over £300 million for the Scottish economy, but it lags behind many other cities in its provision of cultural infrastructure which currently deters some artists from choosing to perform in the city.
“By creating a modern hall with outstanding facilities and acoustics, we are closing the recognised gap in the region’s cultural infrastructure and helping to sustain Edinburgh’s position as a leading cultural city against national and international competition.”