Nottingham's Royal Concert Hall is gearing up to mark 40 years of music, comedy and laughter. The 2,257-seater venue, built on the site of the demolished Empire Theatre, opened on November 27 1982 with a show by global superstar Elton John.
With its ground-breaking design and innovative acoustics, it has become renowned for hosting the very best in entertainment, from leading orchestras, pop and rock stars, and West End musicals, to stand-up comedy, family shows and community events.
To celebrate the landmark anniversary, the venue next door to the Theatre Royal will throw open its doors for a free public Open Day in November, and will host a number of special concerts and events throughout its autumn season.
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FREE OPEN DAY, Saturday 12 November 2022, 10am to 2pm
Members of the public are invited to attend a free Open Day, including backstage tours, street theatre, drumming workshops, face painting, and hip-hop dance and music demonstrations. Access-all-areas guided tours of the building will start from 10am, including the stage platform, dressing rooms, stage door, and rarely seen technical and lighting areas in the roof space above the 400-ton hung ceiling.
There is no need to book in advance. For more information, including how to access a wheelchair accessible tour, please visit trch.co.uk/openday
ROYAL CONCERT HALL 40TH ANNIVERSARY TALK: “SET TO MAKE BRITAIN TAKE NOTICE”, Level 4 Foyer, Friday 21 October at 1pm
A lively and fascinating panel discussion on the history of the Royal Concert Hall, from its celebrated acoustics to its unique design, as well as the political controversy which surrounded the initial plans to build a world-class ‘Festival Hall’ for Nottingham forty years ago.
SINFONIA OF LONDON, Royal Concert Hall Nottingham, Sunday 4 December 7.30pm
Conductor John Wilson’s hand-picked, all-star ensemble has already won a host of major awards for its recordings, and this dazzling programme of orchestral showpieces is the perfect centrepiece for the 40th anniversary of the Royal Concert Hall. The gala concert programme will feature much-loved pieces by Walton, Ravel, Gershwin and Debussy, and a debut performance from BBC Young Musician winner, Martin James Bartlett.
THE ROCKET MAN, Royal Concert Hall Nottingham, Tuesday 8 November 7.30pm
Forty years ago, the hottest tickets in town were for the grand opening of Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall, featuring Elton John. As part of the venue’s birthday festivities, enjoy a magical night of in tribute to Sir Elton John, including hits Saturday Night’s Alright, Crocodile Rock, I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues, Daniel, I’m Still Standing, Philadelphia Freedom, Your Song and more.
The Royal Concert Hall’s venue director, Peter Ireson, said: “When the Hall was first constructed, it was hailed as ‘world-class’, a venue to rival any in the country, helping to put our city on the cultural map and providing the people of Nottingham with a concert hall to be proud of. I think the Royal Concert Hall’s incredible success and enduring appeal over the last forty years has proven this ambition to be fully realised.
The Royal Concert Hall has a central place in our city’s living history, so as part of our anniversary celebrations we would like to capture as many memories and stories as possible from the past forty years from audiences and performers. We’ll be asking people to share their memories, and offering to take any memorabilia people may want to donate to our archive.
As a team, we are so proud to be part of this year’s special anniversary celebrations and to be able to play our part in taking this magnificent venue forward into the future, too.”
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