colston hall phase II World-class concert hall and exceptional music-making facilities at Bristol’s Colston Hall will inspire a new generation
past present future
the vision ‘As Bristol’s Mayor and a long-standing citizen, I regard the future of Colston Hall as vital to Bristol’s music scene and the city’s vibrant cultural life’ Mayor George Ferguson
Built in the 1860s Colston Hall has always been at the heart of Bristol’s musical life. Enhanced by a wonderful new foyer space that opened in 2009 (Phase I) Bristol Music Trust, which runs the Hall, is now ready to complete this project. Among the institution’s ambitious list of goals, the largest is Phase II. With current visitor numbers exceeding 250,000 per year, we need to refurbish Colston Hall’s historic spaces to ensure we continue to deliver world-class music and arts experiences for generations to come. We can create one of the greatest concert halls in Europe within the historic Colston Hall footprint, and complement it with the richest variety of spaces to make, present, enjoy, learn about and record the best music.
Louise Mitchell Chief Executive Bristol Music Trust
Our vision for Colston Hall as a thriving artistic hub, committed to excellence in education, is ambitious and relies on external investment. As the following pages outline, we have an immediate and pressing need for support and, if we accept the current challenges, we also have an opportunity to make a difference. Our core fundraising objective is to refurbish our physical site leading to opportunities to sustain and build on our artistic and education programmes. We are confident that, with your help, we can achieve our vision and secure our future. Bristol’s Hall will inspire a programme of music worthy of a great city at the forefront of the arts and creative industries.
bristol’s project Bristol Music Trust are actively soliciting donations to support our Phase II refurbishment project. The Bristol Music Trust Board of Trustees unanimously approved a campaign goal of £45million to serve this purpose. This will directly support the construction of the facility, all hard and soft construction costs, and all related construction and campaign expenses.
The Concert Hall A creative, flexible and comfortable space that is the perfect home for the world’s finest artists. The illustrations show the main hall with a new, larger and more flexible stage, canopy and fore-stage lift, new balconies replacing the single deeply overhanging balcony, new seats, new ceiling shape, new wall finishes and interior with a modern look and variable acoustics, and, unusually, the original Victorian windows brought back into use. The Lantern and revealing the historic building Audiences will step from the new foyer into a modern reworking of the historic spaces of the Victorian hall. Ornate yet light, grand yet accessible, historic yet cutting-edge, it will be a place that connects the future of creative music making with the traditions of the city. Hall 1 will link to a restored and reused The Lantern – a striking Victorian gem
for performance (300 seats), rehearsal and events – and will further enable the use of the immense, unique and highly atmospheric cellars. These will be converted for intimate club-type presentations, teaching facilities, and extensive suites of creative workshop space, studios and a base for creative tenancies. Cellars Bristol’s original customs warehouse used throughout the 19th century, Colston Hall’s cellars are more extensive than the dramatic subterranean spaces of London’s Roundhouse, and will be the iconic destination for the creative people who abound in the region. This scheme will enable the first public access to this historic gem for a hundred years and will open it out for all types of music making, learning and creating as well as commercial, conferences, festivals and exhibitions.
support the cost We have raised and invested £25million and now need an additional £45million to deliver this exciting project contact and more information Louise Mitchell Chief Executive, Bristol Music Trust louise.mitchell@bristolmusictrust.com 0117 204 7019 Rosa Corbishley Head of Development rosa.corbishley@colstonhall.org 0117 204 7176
‘As Bristol’s Mayor and a long-standing citizen, I regard the future of Colston Hall as vital to Bristol’s music scene and the city’s vibrant cultural life. As an architect, I recognise the vital importance of the Phase II project if it is to survive into the future and meet the high standards expected of Bristol’s principal music venue. The plans provide the opportunity for an exceptional concert hall, rehearsal and creative spaces, opportunities for education, music-making, recording, coaching and businessbuilding, providing a great asset for Bristol’ Mayor George Ferguson