RLPO given £7.5m grant to refurbish Philharmonic Hall
17 July 2013, 11:45 | Updated: 17 July 2013, 15:53
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra's home, Philharmonic Hall, is to get a major refurbishment thanks to an Arts Council England grant of £7.5m.
After a successful initial application and seed fund of £634k in 2012, the RLPO enlisted architects to come up with plans for completely refurbishing Philharmonic Hall, original built in 1939.
Joe Anderson OBE, Mayor of Liverpool, commented: "The refurbishment will give a new lease of life to this much-loved building, enabling it to be enjoyed by generations to come. I am delighted the city council has been able to support this important project."
Details of the refurbishment include improvements to front-of-house areas, rebidding the stage and choir performance areas and new warm-up and backstage facilities.
Perhaps the biggest development, though, will be a brand new dedicated performance space for small-scale concerts and learning events. The building's environmental impact will also be taken into consideration, with efforts to reduce power consumption in the venue.
Work will begin on the refurbishments in Spring 2014, when the venue will close until the end of October of the same year. All refurbishments are scheduled to be finished by 2015, which is the 175th anniversary of the orchestra itself.
