Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Royal Concert Hall in the English city of Nottingham, is part of the city's Royal Centre, which also incorporates the Victorian Theatre Royal. The Royal Concert Hall is owned by Nottingham City Council and its striking modern architecture has proved to be a city landmark right at the heart of Nottingham City Centre, opposite the more recently built The Cornerhouse complex.
The site of the Royal Concert Hall was previously the old 'Empire Palace of Varieties' designed and built in 1898 by Frank Matcham. The Empire closed for the last time in 1958 and was demolished for road-widening in 1969.
Work on the Royal Concert Hall began in 1980 and the Hall was completed in 1982, providing Nottingham with a contemporary 2,499-seater, state-of-the-art, air-conditioned auditorium complete with a highly versatile sound and lighting system. The first artist to perform there was Elton John in November 1982.
Artists to perform there over the years include Billy Connolly Michael Bolton, Elkie Brooks, Norah Jones, Little Richard, Blondie and Neil Sedaka. The Hall has become a leading venue on the worldwide touring circuit, regularly attracting world-class orchestras, rock bands, dance acts and solo artists. The hall is also equipped for staging conferences and large meetings (for example in the late 1980's,it was the regular venue for BT's Annual General Meetings).
The most notable act to perform at the Royal Concert Hall was the legendary Bolshoi Ballet which performed from 10th April to 15th April 2006.
When the Royal Concert Hall first opened, Nottingham City Council entertained the idea of launching a resident professional orchestra to complement such a prestigious new venue but decided against it. There is still strong support for the idea, and it is hoped by many that it may yet become a reality.
