St David's Hall
Encyclopedia
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
and conference venue in the heart of Cardiff city centre
Cardiff city centre
Cardiff city centre is the central business district of Cardiff, Wales. The area is tightly bounded by the River Taff to the west, the Civic centre to the north and railway lines and two railway stations - Central and Queen Street - to the south and east respectively...
, the capital of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. St David's Hall is the National Concert Hall and Conference Centre of Wales.
It hosts the annual Welsh Proms, the International Orchestral Series attracting renowned conductors and performers and the biennial BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition is a competition for opera and art singers held every two years....
. As well as classical music it also plays host to jazz, soul, pop, rock, dance, children's, r&b, musicals and other forms of world music, as well as light entertainment artists like Joan Collins. The foyers in the centre are open and have regular free performances from often local groups, and the many foyers, balconies and bar areas are also used to host art exhibitions. It also has its own Celebrity Restaurant, on top of the numerous bars.
History
Built in 1982 the Hall proved to be a tricky and remarkable building. Architects Seymour Harris PartnershipSeymour Harris Partnership
Seymour Harris Partnership is an architectural partnership based in Birmingham, England. Buildings designed by the practice include Colmore Gate in Birmingham, Queensgate Market in Huddersfield and St David's Hall in Cardiff....
had the task of fitting a major 2000 seat, acoustically perfect auditorium, with surrounding dressing rooms, bars, foyers, a restaurant, offices and spacious concourse into a cramped city centre space. The space available was so cramped that they had to fit the complex into and on top of an already planned and partly built St. David's Shopping Centre
St. David's Centre
St. David's is one of the principal shopping centres in the city centre of Cardiff, capital of Wales. Located in The Hayes area of the southern city centre...
. As a result they had to use every inch of space available and the building has an unusual shape. The Hall has proved to be a success, as since it opened on 30 August 1982 (on that first day 21,000 people flooded through the doors) it has attracted high profile world famous performers from all over the globe and also earned itself a reputation as one of the premier concert and conference venues in Europe and the world. It held its first concert on 11 September 1982. It was officially opened over 5 months after the first concert in 15 February 1983 by the Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
. BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisation in Wales, occupying a dual role as both a broadcasting orchestra and national orchestra.The BBC NOW has its...
(the BBC NOW) is the orchestra-in-residence at St David's Hall, holding regular concerts with reasonably priced tickets to try to attract families who perhaps would not normally consider going to a classical concert. The Hall's acoustics are highly rated for orchestral music and a new sound system in 2005 has solved previous problems with amplified sound.
Present day
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition is a competition for opera and art singers held every two years....
held every two years and the Welsh Proms held annually.
There were fears that St David's Hall would be hit by the opening of the grander, and undoubtedly more spectacular Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of the 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on 22 January 2009 with an inaugural concert...
in Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...
; these fears have been partly realised. The Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of the 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on 22 January 2009 with an inaugural concert...
has added significantly to the arts and cultural scene already present in the city of Cardiff. The angular grey concrete that makes up nearly the whole visible exterior and some interior foyers looks unmistakably 70s/80s modernist new build. Audiences have remained constant at the Hall but political favour and the Wales Millennium Centre's national subsidy has made it a challenge for the Hall to compete. St David's Hall is continually developing its variety of shows, and has recently re-branded the L3 Lounge venue, which has a partly seated capacity of 350 and is mainly used for daytime concerts, the Roots Unearthed folk series and more recently Blas* - A Taste of the Fresh Welsh Sound.
St David's Hall is owned, managed and funded by Cardiff Council and has a thriving education and community department called 'A2: Arts active
Arts active
Arts Active is the name of the education, community and audience engagement section of St David's Hall and the New Theatre . Like the two venues it serves it is a department of the local government authority - Cardiff Council....
: Education, Community and Audience Engagement at St David's Hall and the New Theatre (Cardiff)
New Theatre (Cardiff)
The New Theatre although it usually uses its English name as a title) is one of the principal theatres in Cardiff, capital city of Wales, and celebrated its centenary in 2006...
' which mounts various schools and arts outreach projects.