Perth Concert Hall, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
The Perth Concert Hall is a concert hall in the centre of Perth, Western Australia
. Situated between St Georges Terrace and Terrace Road, it is located near Government House
, the Supreme Court Gardens
and the Swan Bells
, with a view to the Swan River
.
The Perth Concert Hall was constructed between 1971 and 1973 on land that was originally part of the Government Domain. It was built by Sabemo (WA) Pty Ltd to a design by architects Jeffrey Howlett
and Don Bailey
. The building was opened in January 1973.
Since its construction, the venue has been in continuous use as a centre for musical performance, and for other events such as school and university graduation ceremonies, business conventions and civic functions.
secured a site between Stirling Gardens
and Government House, occupied by the Department of Agriculture and the Australian Broadcasting Commission for the construction of a new town hall. The proposed site provoked vigorous public debate. Some wanted a riverside site, such as the Esplanade or Barracks Square, while others suggested land at the end of Barrack Street, between Stirling and Beaufort Streets, or the central Perth area between William and Barrack streets along Forrest Place
.
The official opening of the Perth Concert Hall included a midnight to dawn ball attended by almost 1,700 people. The Western Australian Symphony Orchestra was joined by 55 members of the South Australian Symphony Orchestra
for the occasion, and the whole event was televised. Headlines of ‘A Milestone in the Cultural Life of WA’ greeted the opening. Earlier, John Birman, the Director of the Festival of Perth, had been quoted saying, ‘...it is the first concert hall in Australia since the war and has more than local significance...’.
. Jeffrey Howlett and Don Bailey had won a design competition for a Town Hall and auditorium in 1961. Their design consisted of two buildings, one containing administrative offices and the other, oval in shape, comprising the 'town hall' or auditorium. The administration offices, called Council House
, were built, however financial constraints and doubts regarding the auditorium's acoustic properties meant that construction of the auditorium building was delayed. Its design was subsequently re-considered and it was not until the late-1960s that a different plan was approved. This plan was
Through 1969, the architectural plan
s were amended several times. These amendments included beautification and landscaping of the main pedestrian approach from St Georges Terrace and construction of a subway under the Terrace, a pit for a 60-piece orchestra
with removable flooring and seating to cover the pit when not in use, and improved access and facilities for disabled people. The original plans included a restaurant with a seating capacity
for 400, but following inspection of similar halls in the eastern states of Australia, it was decided that this was not warranted. It was, therefore, decided to make the restaurant smaller and include a tavern
and cocktail
bar, allowing patrons a wider choice. The car area was named The Wardle Room, after Sir Thomas Wardle.
It was the architects’ intention that the exhibition foyers would be used as a continually changing venue for all types of art (such as painting
, tapestry
and sculpture
exhibitions) rather than as permanent exhibition spaces. This may have influenced the Perth City Council's indecision over whether or not to accept artist Sydney Nolan's offer to permanently loan the City a series of 64 paintings of wildflower
s for hanging in the Hall. After considerable public debate over the matter, Nolan withdrew the offer and art dealers and others criticised the short sighted and parochial attitude of the Council in refusing the offer. Ironically, the first exhibition in the foyers featured 54 of Sydney Nolan's wildflower paintings.
Several consultants were involved in the design of the building, including acoustic
consultants, structural engineers, and experts in escalator
s, stage machinery and lighting
. D. H. Fraser was responsible for the structural design and Professor A. Harold Marshall was the acoustics consultant, in association with Warwick Mehaffey of the ABC
.
Dr Marshall used computer modelling to predict how well people would hear in each of the seats and worked closely with the architects in designing the main auditorium, which according to Jefferey Howlett had to be
The Perth Concert Hall is an example of brutalist architecture
, with its solid opaque interior, giant projecting roof, and use of white off-form concrete. It forms a counterpoint to the transparent filigree
of Council House.
The auditorium features a specially commissioned 3000-pipe organ
surrounded by a 160-person choir
gallery and an audience seating capacity
of 1,729. The organ, individually designed, cost $100,000 and was commissioned by Ronald Sharp of Sydney
, who was also responsible for the organ at the Sydney Opera House
. The larger pipes for the organ were imported from Holland. Don Bailey recollects that Ron Sharp was an ‘extraordinarily talented person, largely self-educated, who has to his credit the design and construction of a number of organs, mostly in New South Wales
. A nine-foot Steinway
orchestral concert grand piano (Model D) was also imported from West Germany
for installation in the Hall.
The Concert Hall was the first in Australia to have closed circuit television so that late comers could watch on two screens in the foyer while waiting for an appropriate time to enter. Another screen was in the office of the manager.
The Perth City Council and State Government, as well as the architects and builders, received many compliments on the Hall as it neared completion from visiting experts in the fields of music, architecture and construction.
, Melissa Etheridge
, Ray Charles
, Rowan Atkinson
and Billy Connolly
.
The majority of concerts by the West Australian Symphony Orchestra
are performed at the Perth Concert Hall. The venue is also used for their rehearsals.
The venue is also used to host national conventions and exhibitions, award ceremonies and gala dinners. Recent exhibitions include the Steinway piano exhibition in March 2008. In addition, the venue is used for private or corporate functions in areas other than the auditorium, for example in the foyers, bar and café.
and on 27 September took part in a twinning ceremony and the signing of a document of Mutual Understanding with the Perth Concert Hall
in that city. In February 2007, Claire Wilcock of the Perth Concert Hall in Scotland attended a similar ceremony at the Perth Concert Hall in Western Australia in order to complete the relationship. From the joint association the venues are planning cultural and personnel exchanges.
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. Situated between St Georges Terrace and Terrace Road, it is located near Government House
Government House, Perth
Government House in Perth is the official residence of the governor of Western Australia and was built between 1859 and 1864. The buildings and gardens are listed on the Western Australian Register of Heritage Places and are open to the public from time to time.-Description:The building is a two...
, the Supreme Court Gardens
Stirling Gardens
Stirling Gardens, also known as Supreme Court Gardens is a small public park in Perth, Western Australia. Known in some early records of Perth as 'Government Gardens' - they are 100 metres west of Government House....
and the Swan Bells
Swan Bells
The Swan Bells are a set of eighteen bells hanging in a specially built -high copper and glass campanile, commonly known as The Bell Tower or the Swan Bell Tower, in Perth, Western Australia...
, with a view to the Swan River
Swan River (Western Australia)
The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....
.
The Perth Concert Hall was constructed between 1971 and 1973 on land that was originally part of the Government Domain. It was built by Sabemo (WA) Pty Ltd to a design by architects Jeffrey Howlett
Jeffrey Howlett
Jeffrey Howlett was a Western Australian Modernist architect. He was born in 1928 and died 2005. He started his life in India and traveled to London for study, then moved to Perth for training and to become a senior architect. Through his life he won competitions with his partner Donald Bailey...
and Don Bailey
Donald Bailey (architect)
Donald Bailey, also known as Don Bailey, is an Australian architect, and executive director of the RAIA in Canberra after his own private practice. In 1960 Donald Bailey setup Howlett and Bailey Architects with Jeffrey Howlett in Perth, Western Australia...
. The building was opened in January 1973.
Since its construction, the venue has been in continuous use as a centre for musical performance, and for other events such as school and university graduation ceremonies, business conventions and civic functions.
History
As early as 1950, the City of PerthCity of Perth
The City of Perth is a local government area and body, within the Perth Metropolitan Area, which is the capital of Western Australia. The local government body is commonly known as Perth City Council. The city covers the Perth central business district and surrounding suburbs...
secured a site between Stirling Gardens
Stirling Gardens
Stirling Gardens, also known as Supreme Court Gardens is a small public park in Perth, Western Australia. Known in some early records of Perth as 'Government Gardens' - they are 100 metres west of Government House....
and Government House, occupied by the Department of Agriculture and the Australian Broadcasting Commission for the construction of a new town hall. The proposed site provoked vigorous public debate. Some wanted a riverside site, such as the Esplanade or Barracks Square, while others suggested land at the end of Barrack Street, between Stirling and Beaufort Streets, or the central Perth area between William and Barrack streets along Forrest Place
Forrest Place
Forrest Place is a pedestrianised square located within the CBD of Perth, Western Australia. The street was created in 1923, and has a history of being a focal point for significant political meetings and demonstrations.-History:...
.
The official opening of the Perth Concert Hall included a midnight to dawn ball attended by almost 1,700 people. The Western Australian Symphony Orchestra was joined by 55 members of the South Australian Symphony Orchestra
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra was founded as a 17 player radio ensemble in 1936, in Adelaide, South Australia. The orchestra reformed in 1949 as the 55 member South Australian Symphony Orchestra. It reverted to its original and present title, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, in late 1974, and...
for the occasion, and the whole event was televised. Headlines of ‘A Milestone in the Cultural Life of WA’ greeted the opening. Earlier, John Birman, the Director of the Festival of Perth, had been quoted saying, ‘...it is the first concert hall in Australia since the war and has more than local significance...’.
Chronology of development
- 1950: City of Perth secured land between Stirling Gardens and Government House for the construction of a new town hall.
- 1955: Contest to design new town hall (offices and auditorium) for City of Perth announced.
- 1960: Concept but not design of contest prize winners, Howlett and Bailey, purchased by the City of Perth. The concept was for two separate buildings – a ten-story administrative building and a circular auditorium.
- 1962: Only the administrative block (Council House) was built due to financial constraints and concern over the design of the auditorium.
- 1966: Sir Thomas WardleThomas WardleSir Thomas Edward Wardle was a businessman and supermarket proprietor from Western Australia...
sold his Capitol Theatre to the City of Perth to make way for a car park. The Capitol was the main concert venue in Perth and home of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. - 1967: State government and the City of Perth formed a special committee to consider the matter of a concert hall. The committee considered ten sites and decided on the abandoned Chevron-Hilton site as the most appropriate. Lengthy negotiations ensued as the City of Perth wanted a combined town hall and concert hall on the site; the State government was not prepared to provide the land and contribute to this – it wanted a concert hall only.
- 1968: City of Perth settled on the construction of a concert hall only and the State Government offered Chevron-Hilton site, $1,000,000 towards construction of a concert hall and 50% of its operating costs. Architects Jefferey Howlett and Don Bailey appointed to design a concert hall in July.
- 1969: The Chevron-Hilton site (Lot 853/Reserve 30347) was vested in the City of Perth for the purpose of the concert hall, public restaurant and parking area. Final plans were presented to the City of Perth in January. The total cost of the project was budgeted at $3.1 million dollars.
- 1970: State Government increased its contribution to the project to $1,350,000 Sabemo awarded the tender of $3,201,873 for construction in April and work on site commenced on 12 June; John Sherwood acted as Project Manager; local companies such as Hollostone Pty Ltd, Midland Brick and Millars Timber provided materials.
- 1972: Construction completed and keys ceremoniously handed over to the manager, Nigel Prescott, in December; at this time, conferences had been booked as far ahead as 1974, and the total bookings for the Hall's first year ‘already exceeded 100’.
- 1973: Official opening and first concert on Australia Day, 26 January. Attended by Prime Minister Gough WhitlamGough WhitlamEdward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
and Mrs Whitlam. This occasion also marked the Festival of Perth's 21st Anniversary Commonwealth Taxation office completed on adjacent site. - 1980: Perth Theatre Trust formed to bring His Majesty's Theatre and the Perth Concert Hall under a single administration. Other venues, Playhouse Theatre and Subiaco Arts CentreThe Hole in the Wall TheatreThe Hole in the Wall Theatre was a theatre in Subiaco, Western Australia, that was home to performances from 1984 to 2003. In 2005 it was refurbished and renamed to the Subiaco Theatre Centre....
have subsequently included. Perth Concert Hall leased to the Perth Theatre Trust. - 1982: Completion of work to extend into VIP car park area to provide additional office accommodation (Oldfield Knott Architects).
- 1984: Forecourt landscaped (hobbs Winning Leighton Architects). Commonwealth Family Law Courts constructed on adjacent site to Concert Hall (rear of the Commonwealth Taxation Office).
- 1985: Cooling towers in air conditioning replaced.
- 1987: Small garden and path in north-west corner of site developed by the City of Perth.
- c.1988: Concert Hall re-roofed.
- 1989: New office layout (Cohen and Waller Architects).
- c.1992: Restaurant refurbished; asbestos removed (Palassis Architects).
- 1994: New artists’ facility completed (Palassis Architects).
- 1998: Replacement of air conditioning and relocation of plant to north-east corner of VIP car park.
- 1999: Pedestrian link between Commonwealth Family Law Courts and Concert Hall completed.
- April 2008 – December 2008: Major upgrades to the concrete exterior of the concert hall. This included the installation of scaffolding, cement and concrete works and installation of new exterior lighting. Originally expected to be completed in October 2008, the entire works were finished in early December 2008.
Architectural design
The building was designed by Howlett and Bailey ArchitectsHowlett and Bailey Architects
Howlett and Bailey Architects was founded by Jeffrey Howlett and Donald Bailey in 1960, in Perth, Western Australia. They received numerous design awards and commendations from the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and won the Reserve Bank’s competition in Canberra in 1962. Their designs...
. Jeffrey Howlett and Don Bailey had won a design competition for a Town Hall and auditorium in 1961. Their design consisted of two buildings, one containing administrative offices and the other, oval in shape, comprising the 'town hall' or auditorium. The administration offices, called Council House
Council House, Perth
Council House is a 13-storey office building set beside Stirling Gardens on St Georges Terrace in Perth, Western Australia. The building was designed by Howlett and Bailey Architects and opened by The Queen in 1963 after Perth hosted the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games...
, were built, however financial constraints and doubts regarding the auditorium's acoustic properties meant that construction of the auditorium building was delayed. Its design was subsequently re-considered and it was not until the late-1960s that a different plan was approved. This plan was
...to accommodate not more than 2,000 people and to cost no more than $2,000,000 and with the highest priority to be given to its musical uses, i.e. Symphony concerts, choral concerts, organ recitals, etc., and, in addition, performances of minimum staged ballet, fold dances or musical drama, and also be suitable for other functions such as large Civic receptions, conferences, conventions, public meetings, pageants, school speech days, pop concerts and folk singers.
Through 1969, the architectural plan
Architectural plan
An architectural plan is a plan for architecture, and the documentation of written and graphic descriptions of the architectural elements of a building project including sketches, drawings and details.- Overview :...
s were amended several times. These amendments included beautification and landscaping of the main pedestrian approach from St Georges Terrace and construction of a subway under the Terrace, a pit for a 60-piece orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
with removable flooring and seating to cover the pit when not in use, and improved access and facilities for disabled people. The original plans included a restaurant with a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
for 400, but following inspection of similar halls in the eastern states of Australia, it was decided that this was not warranted. It was, therefore, decided to make the restaurant smaller and include a tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
and cocktail
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
bar, allowing patrons a wider choice. The car area was named The Wardle Room, after Sir Thomas Wardle.
It was the architects’ intention that the exhibition foyers would be used as a continually changing venue for all types of art (such as painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, tapestry
Tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a...
and sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
exhibitions) rather than as permanent exhibition spaces. This may have influenced the Perth City Council's indecision over whether or not to accept artist Sydney Nolan's offer to permanently loan the City a series of 64 paintings of wildflower
Wildflower
A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
s for hanging in the Hall. After considerable public debate over the matter, Nolan withdrew the offer and art dealers and others criticised the short sighted and parochial attitude of the Council in refusing the offer. Ironically, the first exhibition in the foyers featured 54 of Sydney Nolan's wildflower paintings.
Several consultants were involved in the design of the building, including acoustic
Musical acoustics
Musical acoustics or music acoustics is the branch of acoustics concerned with researching and describing the physics of music – how sounds employed as music work...
consultants, structural engineers, and experts in escalator
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
s, stage machinery and lighting
Stage lighting
Modern stage lighting is a flexible tool in the production of theatre, dance, opera and other performance arts. Several different types of stage lighting instruments are used in the pursuit of the various principles or goals of lighting. Stage lighting has grown considerably in recent years...
. D. H. Fraser was responsible for the structural design and Professor A. Harold Marshall was the acoustics consultant, in association with Warwick Mehaffey of the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
.
Dr Marshall used computer modelling to predict how well people would hear in each of the seats and worked closely with the architects in designing the main auditorium, which according to Jefferey Howlett had to be
...a Great Room, as the Concertgebouw hall in AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, the Boston Symphony Hall and the Musikvereinsaal in ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
are great rooms, recognised for their superb acoustic and that is not merely clarity...The great halls have ornate ceilings and other ornamentation. Though the Perth Concert Hall will be a completely modern building, the "fruity" ceilings and decorations of the older halls, which undoubtedly play a part in their acoustics, will be reproduced, in effect, in cofferCofferA coffer in architecture, is a sunken panel in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault...
s hanging from the ceiling, in corrugated walls and in the complex double tier of boxes sloping up the side walls.
The Perth Concert Hall is an example of brutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement.-The term "brutalism":...
, with its solid opaque interior, giant projecting roof, and use of white off-form concrete. It forms a counterpoint to the transparent filigree
Filigree
Filigree is a delicate kind of jewellery metalwork made with twisted threads usually of gold and silver or stitching of the same curving motifs. It often suggests lace, and in recent centuries remains popular in Indian and other Asian metalwork, and French from 1660 to the late 19th century...
of Council House.
The auditorium features a specially commissioned 3000-pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
surrounded by a 160-person choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
gallery and an audience seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 1,729. The organ, individually designed, cost $100,000 and was commissioned by Ronald Sharp of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, who was also responsible for the organ at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. The larger pipes for the organ were imported from Holland. Don Bailey recollects that Ron Sharp was an ‘extraordinarily talented person, largely self-educated, who has to his credit the design and construction of a number of organs, mostly in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. A nine-foot Steinway
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
orchestral concert grand piano (Model D) was also imported from West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
for installation in the Hall.
The Concert Hall was the first in Australia to have closed circuit television so that late comers could watch on two screens in the foyer while waiting for an appropriate time to enter. Another screen was in the office of the manager.
The Perth City Council and State Government, as well as the architects and builders, received many compliments on the Hall as it neared completion from visiting experts in the fields of music, architecture and construction.
Operations
The Perth Concert Hall has been described as one of the best fine music acoustics venues in Australia. It has played host to a diverse selection of internationally acclaimed performers including the London Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Israel Philharmonic and contemporary performers B.B. King, Sting, kd lang, Harry Connick, Jr.Harry Connick, Jr.
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr. is an American singer, big-band leader/conductor, pianist, actor, and composer. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with...
, Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician.Etheridge is known for her mixture of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals...
, Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
and Billy Connolly
Billy Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
.
The majority of concerts by the West Australian Symphony Orchestra
West Australian Symphony Orchestra
The West Australian Symphony Orchestra , often known as the "Orchestra of the West", is the premier professional orchestra of the state of Western Australia.-History:...
are performed at the Perth Concert Hall. The venue is also used for their rehearsals.
The venue is also used to host national conventions and exhibitions, award ceremonies and gala dinners. Recent exhibitions include the Steinway piano exhibition in March 2008. In addition, the venue is used for private or corporate functions in areas other than the auditorium, for example in the foyers, bar and café.
Association with Perth Concert Hall, Scotland
In 2006 Andrew Bolt, General Manager of the Perth Concert Hall, travelled to Perth, ScotlandPerth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
and on 27 September took part in a twinning ceremony and the signing of a document of Mutual Understanding with the Perth Concert Hall
Perth Concert Hall (Scotland)
Perth Concert Hall is an entertainment venue in Perth, Scotland. It consists of the Perth Theatre and Perth Concert Hall and is managed by Horsecross Arts Limited....
in that city. In February 2007, Claire Wilcock of the Perth Concert Hall in Scotland attended a similar ceremony at the Perth Concert Hall in Western Australia in order to complete the relationship. From the joint association the venues are planning cultural and personnel exchanges.
Further reading
- Gregory, Jenny (2003) City of light : a history of Perth since the 1950s Perth, W.A. : City of Perth. ISBN 0959463240 (pbk.) pp. 172–8.