Milton Court Press Pack

Milton Court

Press Information

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Milton Court

a new building for the Guildhall School The Guildhall School of Music & Drama is a vibrant, international community of young musicians, actors and theatre technicians in the heart of the City of London.

The School is widely recognised for the quality of its teaching and its graduates and was rated No. 1 specialist institution in the UK by the Guardian University Guide 2013 and 2014. The new building, Milton Court, is situated opposite the School’s Silk Street building, and opens its doors in September 2013. Milton Court offers state-of-the-art facilities to match the talent within its walls, ensuring that students can enter their chosen profession at the highest level.

Milton Court fulfils a number of major needs for the School: • It provides additional training space for the School – the 1977 Silk Street building was originally built for 300 students and the School now has almost 900 students.

• Milton Court includes a 608-seat Concert Hall plus two Theatres (223-seat and studio), three rehearsal rooms, TV studio suite, teaching/meeting/office space and public foyers. This expansion allows the School to increase its provision, training and programme of events in terms of variety, scope and volume.

• The School is now well-placed with exemplary facilities to continue to attract and support both the top teachers and most talented students from around the globe through the 21st century.

In addition to the School’s public performances, Milton Court Concert Hall will also host a year-round series of classical and contemporary concerts as part of the Barbican’s renowned music programme. This includes performances from the Barbican’s two new associate ensembles – the Academy of Ancient Music and Britten Sinfonia – alongside one-off special events, artistic and commercial hires, and programmes from the Barbican and Guildhall School’s joint Creative Learning division.

Milton Court forms the lower floors of The Heron – Heron International’s luxury residential development rising 36 storeys above and containing 285 apartments and penthouses – the first major residential development in the City for 30 years, setting new standards in city living.

• Milton Court is the latest addition to a growing cultural hub in the Barbican area, stretching from the School’s two buildings and the Barbican on Silk Street up to the Barbican’s two new cinemas, and northwards to LSO St Luke’s on Old Street, offering a richly varied range of venues and performance spaces.

Milton Court The Guildhall School is home to almost 900 students, well over double what the School’s present facilities were originally built for, which made space increasingly tight. Rehearsal and performances often had to take place in external venues, making them less than ideal, expensive and difficult to timetable.

Milton Court has a new state-of-the-art 608-seat Concert Hall plus two theatres (223-seat and studio), three rehearsal rooms, a TV studio suite, a costume department, office space, tutorial rooms and public foyers. Following David Walker Architects’ original concept for the overall development, Milton Court was designed by specialist arts architects RHWL Arts Team, working with consultants including Arup and Theatre Projects.

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Students, staff and public visitors to the School will all experience the additional benefits provided by Milton Court: • Instrumentalists and singers will rehearse and perform in solo recitals, chamber ensembles and orchestras in the new Concert Hall, with top quality fully-adjustable acoustics and the largest audience capacity of any of the London conservatoire concert halls • Actors will rehearse and perform in a traditional proscenium arch, multi-level Theatre and an intimate, adaptable Studio Theatre, both with high-quality dressing room facilities. These spaces complement the existing Silk Street Theatre which will continue to be used by actors and opera singers. Actors will also train for film and television work in the dedicated TV studio suite and use rehearsal rooms with sprung floors, moveable screens and lighting and sound facilities • Theatre technicians will use the latest stage technologies, including fully-automated power flying in the Theatre and state-of-the-art lighting, sound and audio-visual facilities, as well as a tension wire grid in the Studio Theatre. They will also have production offices, seminar rooms and a dedicated computer-aided design training room • Opera singers will use the Theatre for smaller opera performances, the TV studio suite for video requirements, and the rehearsal rooms with sprung floors, moveable screens and lighting and sound facilities • Children from inner-London boroughs will work with Creative Learning, the School’s joint outreach division with the Barbican, in the Concert Hall • Public audiences will experience world-class performances in world-class venues, and meet, eat and drink in bright, open, well-furnished public foyers on two levels with floor to ceiling windows looking out on to Silk Street There are also other teaching, meeting and administrative spaces, complementing and extending those currently in use in the Silk Street building.

Milton Court Concert Hall

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Minor redevelopment of the Silk Street facilities is also made possible by this project, as former drama teaching spaces in the existing building are given over to music. From this autumn, 42,000 additional hours a year of music teaching and practice time will become available for music students and professors in the Silk Street building.

The Concert Hall The Concert Hall in Milton Court is a flexible, professional venue in which young instrumentalists and singers will rehearse and perform. It is suitable for solo recitals, chamber ensembles and medium-sized orchestral performances, plus rehearsals for a full-sized symphony orchestra.

The acoustics designed by industry experts Arup, are of the highest quality. With 608 seats on two levels, the Hall has the largest capacity of any of the London conservatoires – comparable with Wigmore Hall – with public performances in the heart of the City of London that showcase the talent of the School’s musicians.

The Concert Hall provides: • Fully-adjustable acoustics to suit each type of performance • A multi-functional, extendable concert platform (up to 12.4m by 13.7m) • State-of-the-art audio and digital broadcast systems • Adaptable lighting with automated console • Integral piano to lift to the concert platform • Assisted-listening system • High-quality green room facilities, with accommodation for visiting international soloists • An acoustic rating of PNC15 • Acoustic isolation as a result of box-in-box construction techniques

The Theatre

Milton Court Theatre

The existing 308-seat Silk Street Theatre is the School’s single largest acting space and demands placed on it are high. The new 223-seat Theatre in Milton Court has seats on three levels and optional forestage providing more space and enhanced training experience. The Theatre has been designed as an intimate theatre auditorium with a large stage to complement and will be suitable for opera, particularly baroque opera.

For actors it will complement the training currently offered by providing direct experience of rehearsing and performing in a traditional proscenium arch, multi-level theatre, a format commonly found across the UK, including traditional West End theatres.

The professional-standard technical facilities will allow students to gain experience of using the latest stage technologies that are crucial for gaining employment in the most sophisticated theatres and performance venues.

The Theatre’s facilities include: • Fully-automated power flying into the integral fly tower • Elevators in the orchestra pit to control the adaptable forestage area • State-of-the-art lighting, sound and audio-visual facilities • Hydraulic access system for installing lighting and other production equipment • Acoustic drapes in the auditorium • Assisted-listening system • High-quality dressing room facilities

Milton Court technical facts and figures 11,385 m2 Gross Internal Floor Area (GIFA) A list of the new facilities and their respective sizes: Concert Hall (608 seats: 391 stalls; 217 circle; 13 wheelchair spaces: 6 stalls/7 circle)

Theatre (223 seats: 85 stalls; 50 stalls parterre; 55 circle; 33 upper circle; 4 wheelchair spaces) Studio Theatre (flexible space up to 128 seats, including 4 wheelchair spaces) Rehearsal Room 1 (160 m2) Rehearsal Room 2 (117 m2) Rehearsal Room 3 (150 m2) Gym (125 m2)

Teaching Room 1 / TV Studio (60 m2) Teaching Room 2 (65 m2) Teaching Room 3 (65 m2) CAD / IT suite Foyers & Bars Administration, Meeting & Support Rooms Glazed Atrium (40m long, 8 storeys high) Glazed Foyers (52m long)

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Studio Theatre The new Studio Theatre provides a flexible performance space to complement the School’s other two theatres. In contrast to the larger Milton Court Theatre, it will give actors experience of performing in an intimate, adaptable space (12.5m by 18.7m) before an audience of up to 128 people seated in various formats. It emulates the many small, adaptable spaces the actors will work in professionally outside the big playhouses. The School’s theatre technicians will learn to accommodate the demands of contemporary theatrical performances, using the small technical teams and tighter budgets that they will encounter in spaces such as those found in London’s off-West End venues.

The rehearsal rooms include: • Sprung floors and full-length mirrors • State-of-the-art lighting and sound facilities • Removable flexible seating in the basement rehearsal room • Moveable screens for shaping the rehearsal areas • Adjacent student dressing rooms and showers

Public Foyers Bright, open, well-furnished public foyers on two levels allow the public to access all the venues and enjoy refreshments in comfortable surroundings before performances. Glass walls allow the bustling foyer activity to be completely visible from the street, raising the physical profile within the local neighbourhood and the City of London.

The public foyers include: • Audio-visual screens on venue doors to manage latecomers • Dedicated box office facilities • Public bars on both levels Milton Court Studio Theatre

The Studio Theatre facilities include: • Perimeter technical gallery and a tension-wire grid • State-of-the-art lighting and sound facilities • Seating for several different performance configurations

• Cloakrooms to service all three main venues • A public address system throughout the foyer spaces • Integrated access-control systems to divide the front of house from backstage and teaching areas • Wi-Fi coverage • A new work by Turner Prize-winning artist Martin Creed, Work No. 1637: FEELINGS, commissioned by the Guildhall School and developed in collaboration with Barbican Art Gallery.

• Assisted-lighting system • High-quality dressing room facilities

TV Studio Suite The TV Studio Suite provides the School with dedicated space and specialised equipment for video editing and training in film and television. This has become an essential requirement for drama schools to increase actors’ versatility once they enter the profession. The Suite will also service the increasing video requirements for the School’s opera productions.

The TV Studio Suite facilities include: • Industry-standard TV cameras and recording equipment • State-of-the-art video-editing suite • Lighting and sound control systems

Rehearsal Rooms The three sprung-floor major rehearsal rooms at Milton Court are integral to the training of actors and opera singers. Each room is the same size as one of the School’s new or existing theatres, so that productions can be transferred more easily from rehearsal rooms to the stage.

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Martin Creed’s Work No. 1637: FEELINGS

Milton Court by Numbers

livery company names on the City Livery Companies’ Bar

950 243

contractors on site at the peak of construction

bronze plaques on seats donated by

177

Take Your Seat donors

25

506 27

floor traps in the Theatre stage

8 227 35 8 14 500 1 93 1 13 5 stage lights

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seats in the Theatre

new pianos

flying bars in the Theatre fly tower, each able to carry

(Steinway and Yamaha)

chain hoists in the Theatre fly tower, each able to carry

1 tonne

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trapezes

lifts under the Concert Hall stage

climbing ropes

kg digital concert organ

washing machines

harpsichord

shower cubicles

people supported by the tension wire grid in the Studio Theatre

artwork by Turner Prize-winning artist Martin Creed

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loudspeakers

trampettes

square metres of glass across the foyers

650

chamber organ

100

64

108

gym mats

additional hours a year available for Music teaching and practice in the Silk Street building as a result

608

59

seats in the Concert Hall – the largest capacity of any of the London conservatoire concert halls

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square metres of floor space

tumble dryers

Hosting over public performances a year by Guildhall School students

42,000

6 11,385

sewing machines

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Architecture Both Milton Court and The Heron have been developed by Heron International, the Corporation of London’s development partner for the site as one project. The design for Milton Court and The Heron was originally conceived by David Walker Architects, initially on behalf of the City of London Corporation. When Heron International won the competition to become the Corporation’s development partner for the site, it appointed RHWL Architects as lead consultant, with David Walker Architects as design architect and RHWL Arts Team as architect and designer for the new Guildhall School of Music & Drama facility.

The Concept The building’s massing is articulated into two distinct elements reflecting the building’s two primary uses, separated by an eight storey atrium that introduces daylight deep into the School’s internal areas. The entrance to Milton Court is located at the corner of Silk Street and Milton Street, in close proximity to the existing School and the Barbican Centre, while the entrance to the residential tower is located at the opposite corner of the site along Moor Lane.

The duality inherent in the brief and reinforced in the massing emerged as a theme for the compositional strategy used to articulate the elements of the building and in the development of the building’s detailed architectural language and choice of materials.

The Milton Court Concert Hall, the main volume of the School, is clad in polished white concrete in contrast to the predominantly black glass volume of the residential tower. This black and white palate establishes a subdued monochromatic character for the building and further emphasizes the duality of the brief as a positive compositional attribute. Secondary volumes, foyer, stairs, club, balconies, etc, are also treated in contrasting materials (white on black, or black on white) to heighten and clarify the elements of the building while combining to create a compositional whole.

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RHWL Arts Team’s Vision for Milton Court In a world of social media, experiencing and enjoying a live performance is still a special event that is defined by more than the way a space looks. Architecture and stage engineering must work harmoniously together to create successful performance and teaching spaces that create the right atmosphere and offer audiences a truly memorable experience.

RHWL Arts Team’s vision for Milton Court was to create an elegant building that captures the warmth and soul of live performance, with the characteristics and functional arrangements of a professional concert hall and an intimate, yet technically sophisticated, performing arts centre. A place where students can comfortably learn and perform, but not just an academic institution – somewhere that world-class artists could give recitals and masterclasses, and discerning audiences would enjoy first-class performances and hospitality.

Arts Team embraced the original concept of duality: the black external cladding of the residential tower sitting above the Theatre and the apparently standalone white, ‘double cube’ of the Concert Hall, with an atrium allowing daylight into the heart of the teaching spaces and emphasising the visual and acoustic gap between the two.

Working from this established external appearance, Arts Team developed a theme for the interior architecture. Inspired by Barbara Hepworth’s 1943 Oval Sculpture of timber exterior and a pure white carved out interior, the architects reversed the idea. External volumetric forms of the Concert Hall were sculpted away to create auditorium entrances, bars and the main public spaces peeling away the cladding and revealing the warmth of timber interiors. This extends to the three principal performance spaces, which are essentially timber lined: sapele for the Concert Hall, smoked oak for the Theatre and stained ply in muted colours for the Studio Theatre.

Early on, Arts Team introduced into the original design a clear distinction between ‘front of house’ and ‘backstage’ spaces that can operate in teaching mode or public performance mode.

The eight storey atrium physically and visually links the front of house with backstage areas, as well as bringing light into the whole building. Overlooked by six galleries leading to the various teaching, practice and rehearsal rooms, it is intended to become the lively heart of the building, with music, drama and technical students, staff and visiting professional practitioners mixing and conversing together.

Backstage is functional: hard-wearing surfaces serve all the performance spaces, from prestigious dressing rooms to welcome professional performers and spacious changing rooms, lockers and showers for staff and students. To maintain the atmosphere and working arrangements of a professional venue, Arts Team introduced a traditional Stage Door entrance to be used by students and performers alike. There is an efficient loading bay lift to get musical instruments and flight cases to the concert platform and scenery and properties to theatre stage, both located on the first floor, or the studio located two floors below ground level.

the main challenge here was to integrate the technical equipment of a large lyric theatre into a small auditorium and provide safe working practices.

• The Studio Theatre needed to be highly adaptable. Rather than a plain ‘black box’ that replaced the Guildhall’s existing facility, Arts Team introduced timber panelling within a metal channel (unistut) framework that creates an identity with a studied neutrality required by directors and designers, while the ‘unistrut’ enables scenery and lighting to be rigged around the walls without damaging the surfaces. The tension wire grid stretched over the entire studio gives a uniformity to the ceiling, screening the mass of technical equipment above, as well as providing access to enable lighting skills to be safely taught and practiced. The retractable and mobile seating provide various configurations or can be removed completely. The clean appearance and character of the space will enable the School to use the studio and its adjoining foyer to host formal City events and receptions.

• The box-in-box construction of the rehearsal rooms and practice rooms was developed by Arts Team to not only ensure the acoustic separation between rooms, but also to conceal the complex building services, leaving rooms with clean lines and high quality appearance suitable for a range of activities.

• The double height glazed foyers on the first floor form a piano nobile along Silk Street beyond which the white form of the Concert Hall and the black form of the Theatre can be clearly distinguished.

Delivering a world class facility Part of Arts Team’s role was to take the original concept, combined with Arup’s and Theatre Projects’ technical brief, integrate all the requirements and create a memorable space for performers, students and audiences to engage with and enjoy.

• A major challenge was acoustic isolation between each of the performance, rehearsal and practice rooms in such a compact building, especially for the Concert Hall where acoustics and technical requirements are seamlessly integrated into the interior architecture creating an intimate space within a large acoustic volume.

• A priority was excellent acoustics – the Concert Hall has been designed to reach PNC15 – and sightlines in which the eye and the ear enjoy the same musical experience and the audience becomes involved with the music-making.

• As well as being technically sophisticated, the Concert Hall needed to be highly adaptable, with three different platform sizes: smallest for soloists and small musical groups; a medium size for larger chamber orchestras and at the other extreme, large enough for a symphony orchestra to rehearse.

• For the Theatre, the team incorporated a full height fly tower for state-of-the art power flying (something many higher educational establishments cannot offer) and

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• At street level the entrance foyer and adjoining restaurant stretch the length of the building, enlivening Silk Street with the public entrance, box office and the elegant sapele timber stair that leads up to the Concert Hall and Theatre or down to the Studio Theatre. The ‘doglegged’ stair spans between floors free of the walls, establishing a tension and allowing the lighting to emphasise the carving away of the white cladding to anticipate the warmth of the Concert Hall beyond.

• Within the principal artists’ dressing rooms the quality of finish is expressed with the fitted furniture of the dressing units and cupboards, while strong elements of colour have been brought into other backstage dressing rooms and other spaces.

About RHWL Arts Team RHWL Arts Team specialises in the design of buildings for the performing arts. It works for a broad range of clients across the arts community, tackling both new buildings and the restoration of some of the country’s finest historic theatres – breathing new life into important and much-loved parts of the nation’s cultural heritage.

Its projects are location- and client-specific, defined less by a signature style than by a shared imaginative approach and design ethos. Arts Team believes that inspiration and creative solutions founded in specialist knowledge lead the way to successful arts buildings.

Past work includes the Wigmore Hall refurbishment, Sadler’s Wells, the Donmar Warehouse, the London Coliseum, the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, the Belfast Grand Theatre and Opera House, Northern Stage and the Watford Colosseum.

It has also been part of the team delivering the Middle East’s largest conference centre – the Qatar National Convention Centre – and is currently working on the restoration of the China Grand Theatre in Shanghai.

In addition to Milton Court, this year Arts Team has completed the refurbishment of the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane for the Really Useful Group and Cast, a new performance venue for Doncaster. Later in 2013 it will also complete a major refurbishment of ArtsEd in West London, funded by The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation. www.artsteam.com

About RHWL Architects RHWL Architects is one of the UK’s most versatile and multiskilled practices. It designs and delivers award-winning offices, hotels, schools, mixed use and residential developments for clients ranging from property companies, funds and global occupiers to private schools and public bodies. Established in 1961, the 80-strong practice is based in Central London and works internationally, with offices in Berlin and Doha. www.rhwl.com

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About David Walker Architects David Walker Architects is an award winning architectural practice based in London. Founded in 2002, completed projects include: One Coleman Street, Legal and General’s headquarters on London Wall, The Bulgari Hotel in Knightsbridge, Bow Bells House, an office building on Cheapside, Riverbank House, The Man Group’s headquarters on Upper Thames Street, an office building at Monument Square, and the redevelopment of Milton Court, a mixed use building adjacent to the Barbican on Silk Street incorporating new facilities for the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and a residential tower rising to 36 storeys.

Prior to establishing David Walker Architects, David Walker was Design Principal at Swanke Hayden Connell Architects from 1988-2002. Projects include Winchester House, Deutsche Bank’s London Wall headquarters, and the Merrill Lynch Financial Centre on Newgate Street. From 1983-1988, David was a senior designer at Skidmore Owings and Merrill in New York. Born in Vancouver, Canada in 1957, David grew up in California and received a BA in Architecture from The University of California, Berkeley, in 1979. In 1980 he attended The Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies Advanced Design Workshop in New York, and received a Masters in Architecture from Yale University in 1983. www.dwarchitects.co.uk

Developer

Main contractor

Heron International

Sir Robert McAlpine

Since it was founded, Heron International has developed 160 buildings in the key business districts of nine leading cities around the world and has developed, invested in and managed a wide range of prime offices, residential, leisure, hotels and mixed-use projects in the UK and Europe. It has developed more than 1 million sq m of commercial and retail property and more than 15,000 residential units in the UK, continental Europe and the USA. It currently has a £500 million investment portfolio and its current development programme is valued at £1 billion.

Sir Robert McAlpine Limited was the main contractor responsible for the design and construction of The Heron residential tower and Milton Court. A leading UK building and civil engineering company founded in 1869, Sir Robert McAlpine is committed to the highest standards of safety, sustainability and quality. The company operates across all the major market sectors, tailoring its wide-ranging design, construction, technical and management capabilities to meet clients’ needs. Family-owned and with a proud record of achievement, one of the company’s main strengths is the ability to manage large and complex multi-discipline contracts. Notable projects include the Olympic Stadium, the O2 Arena, Birmingham BullRing, Emirates Stadium, Exeter Forum and the Eden Project.

Developed by Heron International, The Heron is the City of London’s first major residential development project for over 30 years. This visionary development successfully brings together the interests and ambitions of three parties – the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the need to expand its facilities; Heron International’s desire to build an iconic residential tower in a prime location, and the City of London Corporation which has made it all possible by providing the site upon which to build these dreams, homes and facilities.

www.sir-robert-mcalpine.com

www.heroninternational.co.uk

Acoustics consultant

Theatre consultant

Arup

Theatre Projects

Arup has an international reputation in performing arts buildings and its projects include: Oslo, Copenhagen and Athens Opera Houses; the Bridgewater Hall, The Sage, Kings Place, and Glyndebourne Opera in the UK. Arup has acted as specialist acoustics advisor throughout the Milton Court project, from concept to completion. Early critical involvement established the ideal volumetric form of the performance spaces, and the structures required to ensure immunity from outside disturbance. The Concert Hall itself has been constructed as a totally independent concrete box-within-abox, supported only by a series of specially selected natural rubber pads. Rigorous calculation, modelling and auralisation refined the design, and during construction detailed inspection and laboratory testing of key elements was carried out. Prior to completion final tests were conducted to verify the acoustic quality, and the optimum set-up of the variable elements which allow conditions to be optimised according to repertoire.

Theatre Projects is the world’s leading theatre design and planning firm. With more than 1,200 projects in over 70 countries, its work ranges from studio theatres to performing arts centres. Theatre Projects’ multidisciplinary team was involved at every stage of the Milton Court project – from sketching out the stage and auditorium concept designs to designing and specifying all the theatre equipment systems in every performance space in the building, including production lighting, sound and communications, and stage engineering solutions. Theatre Projects worked closely with the design team to create performance spaces to match the Guildhall School’s needs, and was regularly on site to make sure this same care and attention to detail was continued throughout the commissioning of the building. www.theatreprojects.com

www.arup.com

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Design Team Architects David Walker Architects RHWL Arts Team Quantity Surveyor EC Harris Structural & Geotechnics Engineer, Façade & Fire Consultant WSP Cantor Seinuk

Mechanical, Electrical, Public Health & Security Engineers Foreman Roberts Hoare Lea

Acoustics Consultant Arup Access Consultant David Bonnett Associates

Lift & Building Maintenance Units Engineer Lerch Bates & Associates

Theatre Consultant Theatre Projects

Lighting Consultant Light & Design Associates

Planning Consultant DP9

Construction Team Excavation, Ground & Enabling Works McGee

Lifts Mitsubishi

Curtains & Blinds Enviroscreen

Site Logistics Clipfine

Temporary Electrics Crosby

Gym Equipment Continental Sports

Unexploded Ordnance Surveyors Fugro

Mechanical & Electrical Services Imtech Meica

Fire Stopping WRR

Piling Bachy Soletanche

Glass Reinforced Gypsum, Plaster & Polished Plaster Simplicity Mouldings

Wall & Floor Tiling Dyson Briggs

Pile Monitoring Instrumentation Testing & Monitoring Concrete Sub & Superstructure Byrne Bros.

Stage Engineering Delstar/Stage Technologies

Structural Steelwork William Hare

Production Lighting/Sound & Communications Stage Electrics

Precast Concrete Cladding Techcrete UK Blockwork Galostar Cladding & Curtain Walling Permasteelisa UK Façade Hoists Façade Hoists Roof Finishes Rock International

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Screeding H A Boulton Flooring

Plasterboard Partitions & Ceilings Measoms Joinery Lindner Auditorium Seating Race Furniture General Metalwork D Wilson Bar Equipment Cantilever Bars

Floor Finishes Abbeywood Flooring Decoration Hart Contractors Internal Signage Austin Reynolds Pavement Rooflight New Glass Structures Artwork Installation Neon Circus Final Builders’ Clean Steeles PCS Furniture, Fittings & Equipment Hunters Contracts Mobile Phone Boosting Cellular Asset Management

About the Guildhall School of Music & Drama A brief history

The Guildhall School today

The Guildhall School of Music first opened its doors on 27 September 1880, housed in a disused warehouse in the City.

With 62 part-time students, it was the first municipal music college in Great Britain. The School quickly outgrew its first home, however, and in 1887 it moved to new premises in John Carpenter Street in a complex of educational buildings built by the Corporation of London to house it and the City’s two public schools.

Rated No.1 specialist institution in the UK by the Guardian University Guide 2013 and 2014, the Guildhall School is widely-acknowledged as one of the world’s leading conservatoires and drama schools. In addition to its longstanding music and drama programmes, it is also pre-eminent in technical theatre, professional development and music therapy. A thriving Junior Guildhall, the recent addition of the Centre for Young Musicians and a range of summer schools and short courses further complement the outstanding opportunities available. Long recognised as a centre of excellence, the School has been twice-honoured by consecutive Queen’s Anniversary Prizes; in 2005 for its unrivalled development and outreach programme, Guildhall Connect, and in 2007 in recognition of the achievements and work of the School’s Opera Programme over the last two decades.

The new building was completed by 9 December 1886 and the then Lord Mayor of London, Sir Reginald Hanson, attended the opening ceremony. Teaching continued under the first Principal of the School, Thomas Henry Weist Hill, and his team of 90 professors.

Silk Street building from the Lakeside, 1977

The Guildhall School is a vibrant showcase for the City of London Corporation’s commitment to education and the arts.

Its premises in the Barbican solidify a unique link with both Europe’s largest arts and conference centre, and the world-class London Symphony Orchestra. This connection is now formally recognised with the establishment of a creative alliance between the School, the Barbican Centre and the LSO to create the world’s leading centre for performance, training and education in the performing and visual arts.

Initially, all tuition was on a part-time basis, but full-time courses were introduced by public request in 1920. Departments of Speech, Voice and Acting were added and by 1935 the School had added ‘& Drama’ to its title.

The reputation of the teaching and increasingly the research across all the disciplines in the School is unrivalled. Students experience working in a professional context to professional standards with an exemplary pool of outstanding artists who work as directors, conductors, coaches and tutors.

The School’s graduates consistently succeed at the highest levels of their chosen profession and many are now household names. Alumni include Dame Eileen Atkins, Alison Balsom, Orlando Bloom, Daniel Craig, Judy Craymer,

The School moved to its present premises in the heart of the City of London’s Barbican in 1977, and was formally opened by The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor Sir Robin Danvers Penrose Gillett.

In 1993 the Corporation of London leased a nearby courtyard of buildings that in the 18th century had been the centre of Samuel Whitbread’s first brewery, and renovated and converted this to provide the School with its Hall of Residence, Sundial Court. About three minutes’ walk from the School, Sundial Court offers self-catering single-room accommodation for 178 students. The John Hosier Annexe, containing 44 teaching and practice rooms, was opened in 1988 and named in honour of a former Principal of the School.

In 2001 the Secretary of State, Baroness Blackstone, announced that the Barbican Centre, including the Guildhall School, was to be Grade II-listed.

Guildhall Symphony Orchestra in rehearsal

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Dido, Joseph Fiennes, Sir James Galway, Dave Holland, Sarah Lancashire, Paul Lewis, Tasmin Little, Sir George Martin, Sally Matthews, Alistair McGowan, Ewan McGregor, Anne Sofie von Otter, Jacqueline du Pré, Clive Rowe, Kate Royal, Simon Russell Beale, Claire Rutter, Bryn Terfel and Janice Watson.

The School currently numbers almost 900 students on its roll call, approximately 700 of whom are undergraduate and postgraduate music students and 175 on the Acting and Technical Theatre programmes. In any given year, about 40% of the students are from outside the UK, typically representing over 50 nationalities.

Guildhall School Timeline 1880 – Guildhall School of Music opens on 27 September in a disused warehouse in Aldermanbury, in the heart of the City of London 1887 – The School moves to new facilities in John Carpenter Street 1898 – An extension to the John Carpenter Street building, incorporating a new theatre, opens 1920 – Full-time courses are introduced at the School by public request

The Guildhall School continues to enhance its programmes and contribute to the cultural life of the City by forging ties not only with the Barbican Centre and the London Symphony Orchestra, but also the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Opera House, and the Academy of Ancient Music.

1935 – The School adds ‘& Drama’ to its title in recognition of its growing expertise in the area of acting

The £89 million redevelopment of the Milton Court site is the most significant investment in the Guildhall School for 36 years. With the opening of this new building, the Guildhall’s facilities will at long last match the outstanding quality of its training and the success of its graduates.

1977 – The School moves to its present Silk Street building in the heart of the Barbican Estate

Guildhall actors in Curtains (2010)

1968 – The licentiate in music therapy is introduced as a course of study 1970 – Stage management is introduced as a course of study

1993 – Sundial Court is added to the School’s estate to provide accommodation for over 170 students 1997 – The School develops plans for an extension of its facilities on the site of Milton Court 1999 – David Walker develops the first ideas for the building concept that would become the new Milton Court and The Heron 2005 – The Guildhall School celebrates its 125th anniversary.

Guildhall Connect wins the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its long-standing and ground-breaking programme of education and outreach.

2006 – The School enters the mainstream of higher education funding in the UK through the Higher Education Funding Council for England 2006 – Developers invited to submit proposals for the site. Heron International’s proposals for Milton Court and residential above were selected. RHWL Architects and its Arts Team were involved in the bid and helped to take the designs through to the planning process 2007 – Planning permission for Milton Court and The Heron granted in November. The School wins a second Queen’s Anniversary Prize for the outstanding achievements of its opera programme over the previous 20 years 2008 – Demolition of the original Milton Court 2010 – Preparation of the foundations and construction begins 2011-12 – Construction continues 2013 – Completion of the new building and Milton Court opens for business

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Barbican Centre The Barbican is devoted to world-class arts and learning, pushing the boundaries of all major art forms including dance, film, music, theatre and visual arts. This programme crosses art forms, presents world-class artists and performers, and champions established and emerging artists. The arts centre reaches a wide audience, with over 1.8 million people passing through the Barbican’s doors annually.

The Barbican Centre and the Guildhall School enjoy a unique partnership, working together to create unrivalled performance and learning opportunities. In addition to the School’s public performances, Milton Court Concert Hall will also host a yearround series of classical and contemporary concerts as part of the Barbican’s renowned music programme. This includes performances from the Barbican’s two new associate ensembles – the Academy of Ancient Music and Britten Sinfonia – alongside one-off special events, artistic and commercial hires, and programmes from the Barbican and Guildhall School’s joint Creative Learning division. www.barbican.org.uk

A cultural hub in the heart of the City of London Milton Court is the latest addition to a growing cultural hub in the Barbican area, stretching from the School’s two buildings and the Barbican on Silk Street up to the Barbican’s two new cinemas, and northwards to LSO St Luke’s on Old Street, offering a richly varied range of venues and performance spaces. With the Barbican, the School and the Museum of London at its core, the hub is an unrivalled destination for performance, arts, history, learning and entertainment.

Nestled between the dynamic areas of Tech City, Whitecross Street, Clerkenwell and east London, the hub is at the heart of new urban development yet remains surrounded by our cultural landmarks of the past, from St Paul’s to Guildhall Yard. The arrival of two new Crossrail stations in 2018 will contribute to the rise of this unrivalled cultural destination.

The City of London Corporation The City of London Corporation is no stranger to world-class performances. Its prime role is to support and promote the City as the world leader in international finance and business services.

Keeping the world spotlight on the City’s financial status also reflects its cultural excellence. The City Corporation is one of the most significant sponsors of the arts in the UK. It founded the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in 1880, and continues to provide it today. It is also the founder and principal funder of the Barbican Centre, Europe’s largest multi arts and conference venue, and directly funds the London Symphony Orchestra’s residency. It is a major funder of the enormously popular Museum of London and supports a year-round programme of major arts festivals and events in the City and neighbouring areas.

International standards of excellence run through the host of other responsibilities the City holds and which extend far beyond the boundaries of the Square Mile. It is the port health authority for the whole of the Thames estuary, owns and runs four famous markets (Smithfield, Billingsgate, Spitalfields and Leadenhall), manages a portfolio of property throughout London and maintains and safeguards almost 11,000 acres of open space in and around it, including Hampstead Heath, Epping Forest, Burnham Beeches and a string of parks and commons in Kent and Surrey. It also runs the five bridges that cross the Thames into the City, including Tower Bridge, a major tourist attraction and an international symbol for London as a whole. Many of these services are provided at no cost to the public and benefit wider London and the nation as a whole. The City Corporation also has an established programme of support for London’s communities and its charity, the City Bridge Trust, makes grants of more than £15m every year to charitable projects across the capital.

Add to this is the unique and influential role played by its head, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, in promoting the City’s financial services at home and overseas, and the City of London has a cast and company fit for the world stage.

Indeed the City has taken many roles over the centuries – whether playing the lead or acting in a supporting role it is dedicated to delivering a world-class performance. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

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The Guildhall School’s autumn season highlights Concert Hall

Acoustic test in the Milton Court Theatre

The Milton Court Concert Hall officially opens its doors to the public on 4 October, when James Gaffigan conducts the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra & Chorus in Beethoven’s landmark Ninth Symphony with soloists who are alumni of the School: soprano Katherine Broderick (Opera 2007), mezzo-soprano Cátia Moreso (Opera 2011), tenor Timothy Robinson (Opera 1989) and baritone David Stout (Opera 2006). The programme is completed with Elgar’s colourful homage to London life, the Cockaigne Overture, and Come Forth to Play, a new work for organ, brass and percussion by Head of Composition Julian Philips.

The School welcomes back prestigious alumni for its first ever Alumni Recital Series, in support of the School’s Scholarships fund. Thomas Adès (Piano/Composition 1989) is joined by Anthony Marwood (Violin 1986), Matthew Hunt (Clarinet 1994) and Head of Strings Louise Hopkins (Cello 1990) for a programme that takes in Britten, Barry and Stravinsky as well as works by Adès himself (5 November). Mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter (Opera 1982) performs a concert of French mélodies and chansons including works by Debussy, Fauré, Ravel and Saint-Saëns (23 November). The Alumni Recital Series continues in 2014 with Tasmin Little & Martin Roscoe (26 February) and Toby Spence & Friends (2 May).

The Faculty Artist Series, which features exclusive performances from senior Guildhall School professors, moves to the Milton Court Concert Hall this season. Senior Professor in Vocal Accompaniment Graham Johnson is joined by soprano Dame Felicity Lott, tenor and Professor of Voice Adrian Thompson and baritone Stephen Varcoe (7 November), while Professor of Piano Rolf Hind performs contemporary works including Per Nørgård’s Turn, John Adam’s Phrygian Gates and his own composition, a single hair, a jasmine petal, seven matresses, a pea (5 December).

British Jazz Awards winner Alec Dankworth makes a special visit to direct the Guildhall Jazz Band and guests in a concert of small group jazz and big band music composed by his father, the late Sir John Dankworth (14 November). The School celebrates professor and jazz bassist Geoff Gascoyne’s 50th birthday as part of the EFG London Festival, with Guildhall musicians and guests including guitarist Jim Mullen, pianist Tom Cawley, Martin Hathaway on alto sax, and singers Trudy Kerr and Ian Shaw (22 November).

Theatres The Guildhall School’s talented final year actors raise the curtain in the new Milton Court Theatres with two of Chekhov’s major plays. Director of Drama Christian Burgess directs Peter Gill’s version of The Seagull (17-24 October) in the intimate Studio Theatre, while David Mamet’s adaptation of Chekhov’s turn-of-the-century masterpiece The Three Sisters (19-24 October) christens the proscenium-arch Milton Court Theatre in a production led by Director of Acting Wyn Jones.

Guildhall singers and pianists perform Journeying Boys (8 -10 November), a new play by Research Associate and professor Iain Burnside. Developed in association with the Royal College of Music, the play explores the creative personalities of Benjamin Britten and Arthur Rimbaud working at key moments in their lives, fusing text, music and movement in a new genre of music theatre Burnside has made his own. www.gsmd.ac.uk/events

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The Campaign for Milton Court The Campaign for Milton Court is raising money to ensure that future generations of musicians, actors and theatre technicians have access to exceptional training in three new state-of-the-art performance venues.

The total cost of Milton Court is £89 million.

The Guildhall School is very grateful to the City of London and Heron International for their generous investment as Foundation Donors. Their combined support, worth £75.5 million, means that Milton Court is now a reality.

This leaves the School with £13.5 million to raise from private sources. It has successfully secured £10.1 million, leaving £3.4 million left to raise.

Donors to the Campaign for Milton Court Foundation Donors

Major Donors

City of London Corporation

The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust

Heron International

The Atkin Foundation

Principal Donors

Cantillon

BB Energy Holdings NV City Bridge Trust The Dorset Foundation, in memory of Harry M Weinrebe Dunard Fund J Paul Getty Jr Charitable Trust Heron International and Snax 24 Ltd Michael and Mercedes Hoffman ICAP Investec John Lyon’s Charity Harvey and Allison McGrath The Mercers’ Company The late Margaret Phillips The late Ivy Sharp The late Carl Sutton Garfield Weston Foundation The Wolfson Foundation The Worshipful Company of Musicians

Catlin Group The John S Cohen Foundation The Peter Cruddas Foundation Dr Trudi Darby, in memory of Constance and Robert The Foundation for Sport and the Arts The Girdlers’ Company Charitable Trust The Gosling Foundation Mr Peter Halliday and Deputy Pauline Halliday OBE The Hobson Charity Professor Barry Ife CBE, in memory of Joan and Bernard Keltbray Lindner Group Ruddy Joinery Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd. The Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation Mark Tousey William Hare Limited Alderman Sir David Wootton and Lady Wootton Anonymous (2)

Anonymous (2)

City Livery Companies

Take Your Seat

The Guildhall School has long-standing relationships with the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Companies have made a significant impact on the School and its students through donations to the Scholarships Fund and the Campaign for Milton Court.

Take Your Seat is an exceptional opportunity to be part of the Guildhall School’s new venues by naming a seat in the Concert Hall, Theatre and Studio Theatre. Launched in September 2012, the response so far has been incredibly generous: almost 250 seats have been named in the Milton Court Concert Hall and Theatre, raising nearly £300,000 for the overall Campaign.

Nearly 60 livery companies have contributed to the City Livery Companies’ Bar, located in The Investec Foyer in Milton Court’s lower ground floor. The Guildhall School is very grateful for their support.

The Development team has heard some wonderful stories about donors’ connections with the School as they name their seats for family members, teachers at Guildhall, and for those who have inspired them in their love of music and the theatre.

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Guildhall School events October Friday 4 October, 7.30pm

Guildhall Symphony Orchestra/James Gaffigan Milton Court Concert Hall Thursday 17 October, 7.30pm

The Seagull

Barbican events All Barbican events listed here take place in the Milton Court Concert Hall

October Friday 11 October, 7.30pm

Britten Sinfonia/Paul Lewis Tuesday 15 October, 7.30pm

Milton Court Studio Theatre (until 24 October)

BBC Singers/David Hill

Saturday 19 October, 7.30pm

Thursday 17 October, 7.30pm

The Three Sisters Milton Court Theatre (until 26 October)

November

City Music Foundation Showcase Concert Friday 18 October, 7.30pm

Royal Northern Sinfonia/Thomas Zehetmair Wednesday 23 October, 6pm

Thomas Adès Masterclass

Gewandhaus Quartet, Barbican International Associate Residency

Milton Court Concert Hall

Thursday 24 October, 7.30pm

Tuesday 5 November, 6pm

Academy of Ancient Music/Alina Ibragimova

Thomas Adès Piano Works

Saturday 26 October , 7.30pm

Monday 4 November, 10am

Milton Court Concert Hall Tuesday 5 November, 7.30pm

Alumni Recital Series: Thomas Adès & Friends Milton Court Concert Hall Thursday 7 November, 7.30pm

Faculty Artist Series: Graham Johnson & Friends Milton Court Concert Hall Friday 8 November , 7.30pm

Hertfordshire Chorus/David Temple Sunday 27 October

Seven on Seven Conference, Rhizome Wednesday 30 October, 6pm

Gewandhaus Quartet, Barbican International Associate Residency

Journeying Boys

November

Milton Court Theatre (until 10 November)

Monday 4 November, 7.30pm

Thursday 14 November, 7.30pm

Mariinsky Stradivarius Ensemble/Valery Gergiev

The Dankworth Family with Guildhall Jazz Band

Sunday 17 November

Milton Court Concert Hall Friday 22 November, 7.30pm

EFG London Jazz Festival: Geoff Gascoyne 50th birthday concert

EFG London Jazz Festival, Celebrating Jazz at the Philharmonic Wednesday 20 November, 7.30pm

Milton Court Concert Hall

EGF London Jazz Festival, ECHO Rising Stars: Pablo Herald Trio

Saturday 23 November, 7.30pm

Thursday 21 November, 7.30pm

Alumni Recital Series: Anne Sofie von Otter & Friends Milton Court Concert Hall

Academy of Ancient Music/Anna Prohaska/ Richard Egarr Sunday 24 November, 7.30pm

December

Barbican Britten: Britten Sinfonia/Mark Padmore/ Kuusisto

Thursday 5 December, 7.30pm

Monday 25 November, 7.30pm

Faculty Artist Series: Rolf Hind Milton Court Concert Hall Saturday 7 December, 6pm

Junior Guildhall Symphony Orchestra & Chorus Milton Court Concert Hall

Kensington Symphony Orchestra/Nikolai Demidenko

December Sunday 8 December, 3pm & 8pm

Sam Green with Yo La Tengo

www.gsmd.ac.uk/events

Friday 13 December, 1pm

ECHO Rising Stars: János Balázs

www.barbican.org.uk

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Milton Court Theatre flytower

Photography by: Morley Von Sternberg, Hugo Glendinning, Clive Barda and Alexander Newton

The Guildhall School is provided by the City of London as part of its contribution to the cultural life of London and the nation.

For further press information please contact: Rebecca Driver Media Relations rebecca@rdmr.co.uk isobel@rdmr.co.uk annabel@rdmr.co.uk 020 7247 1894

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