De Montfort Hall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
De Montfort Hall is a music and performance venue in Leicester, England. It is situated near Victoria Park a few minutes from Leicester railway station, and is named after Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester.
Its indoor auditorium capacity is around 2,000 seats, and the hall contains a Taylor pipe organ which was recently restored.
Most of the hall's events take place in the indoor auditorium where the programme of events ranges from jazz, ballet, comedy and opera to world and roots music, West End musicals and classical music featuring the world famous Philharmonia Orchestra which was set up by EMI and has been resident at the hall since 1997.
Occasionally events take place outdoors, such as the popular performances of Shakespeare which take place in the hall's gardens, and the Summer Sundae music festival, which takes place every year.
Artists to have played the venue in recent years include Flaming Lips, Natasha Beddingfield, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Yo La Tengo, Nitin Sawhney and Thea Gilmore. Comedians to have performed include Jimmy Carr, Jack Dee, Mel and Sue and the Chuckle Brothers.
The hall has its own secure car park off University Road with a pedestrian walkway connecting the car park to the main entrance of the Hall.
Graduation ceremonies for the University of Leicester and De Montfort University take place in the hall.
The Hall was built by the Corporation of Leicester in the early 20th century, and was finished in 1913. It cost £21,000.
