51°21′05″N 2°15′40″W / 51.3515°N 2.261°W Wiltshire Music Centre is a 300-seat concert hall in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, England which has been described as having "the finest acoustic outside London". [1] The Centre puts on over 150 concerts a year [2] including critically acclaimed artists such as Claire Martin, Richard Rodney Bennett, Courtney Pine, [3] John Williams, [4] Imogen Cooper and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
The centre is in the north-west of Bradford-on-Avon and is adjacent to the town's secondary school, St Laurence School. Wiltshire Music Centre Trust Ltd is an independent charity run by a small team of 10 employees, who are supported by a team of approximately 85 volunteer stewards. [5]
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 panellists. [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. [11]
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. [11] In 2011 the Centre's concerts and participation events were attended by more than 60,000 people. [11]
The Centre is home to a variety of orchestras, choirs and other music groups. [12] 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. [11] In 2007 the 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. [13]