Wiltshire Music Centre
Wiltshire Music Centre is a 300 seat concert hall in Bradford on Avon and has been described as having ‘the finest acoustic outside London’.[1] The Centre puts on approx. 100 concerts a year[2] including critically acclaimed artists such as Claire Martin OBE & Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Courtney Pine[3] , John Williams[4] Imogen Cooper CBE and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and many more. Wiltshire Music Centre Trust Ltd is an independent charity run by a small team of 10 employees, who are supported by a team of approx. 85 volunteer stewards.[5]
Concert Programme
Wiltshire Music Centre opened in 1998, built with funding from one of the first National Lottery grants for art projects; £1.74 million towards overall design and build costs.[6]
The first event to take place at the Centre was the BBC Radio 4 Any Questions? programme in January 1998.[7] Any Questions? returned to the Centre on 1 July 2011 with Billy Bragg, Deborah Meaden, Shaun Woodward and Steve Webb as panelists.[8][9]
The Princess Royal opened the Centre on 29 April 1998[7] and the first concert was performed by international pianist John Lill on 7 March 1998. In May 2004, the Trust was invited to a reception at Number 10 Downing Street to celebrate outstanding achievements in the arts.[10]
The Centre's programme and visitor levels grew year on year during its first decade, and in recent years the Centre has offered a programme of classical, jazz, folk and world music to more than 20,000 audience members.[2]
The Centre promotes on average 50 professional concerts every year, as well as providing a performance venue for 30 local amateur and professional groups and on average 30 local young people’s participation events.[2]
In 2011 the Centre’s concerts and participation events attracted more than 60,000 people into the Centre.[2] On 24 January 2012, the town of Bradford on Avon became an honorary city for the day after winning a competition run by BBC Radio 5 Live. In celebration, the Tony Livesey show was broadcast live in front from Wiltshire Music Centre on the evening of 24 January.[11][12]
Education work
The Centre is home to a variety of orchestras, choirs and other music groups.[13][14] The Centre was founded on a commitment to nurture musical ability or interest, regardless of age or background, and runs projects aimed at delivering strong musical experiences.[5]
The Centre has worked with most special schools and many of the primary schools in Wiltshire, as well as a number of the county's secondary schools.[2] In 2007 Wiltshire Music Centre played a key role in launching South West Music School; a virtual school which provides advanced training for gifted young musicians and singers, aged 8 to 18.[15] In 2011 the Centre’s concerts and participation events attracted more than 60,000 people into the Centre.[2]
External links
Notes
- ^ Sean Rafferty, BBC Radio 3, November 2061
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e f Wiltshire Music Centre Trust Ltd. Annual review (PDF), 2010/11
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Courtney Pine press coverage
- ^ John Williams review
- ^ a b Charity Commission listing
- ^ Wiltshire Music Centre ‘about us’
- ^ a b St Laurence School history
- ^ Wiltshire Times ‘Any Questions?’ Article
- ^ BBC Iplayer version of July 2011 ‘Any Questions?’ show broadcast from Wiltshire Music Centre
- ^ Details of 2004 activities (PDF)
- ^ "Bradford-on-Avon Honorary City of 2012".
- ^ "Tony Livesey, Radio 5 Live, live from Bradford on Avon". 24 January 2012.
- ^ Jazz Factory
- ^ West Wilts Young Musicians
- ^ South West Music School Associate members