Ancient university gets first music hall in 600 years

Ancient university gets first music hall in 600 years

News

norman lebrecht

July 06, 2021

St Andrews University is famed far beyond Scotland for its science, but music seems to have lagged behind.

The new hall, designed by acoustician Nicholas Edwards, claims to be the first recital room in the world to have a reverberation chamber.

Just listen.

Comments

  • Emil says:

    St Andrews has had very good music halls, though multipurpose. Younger hall was used as the seat for the music centre, and features a hall big enough for large chamber orchestras, as well as an organ. For several years the Scottish Chamber Orchestra had a residency there (I assume they still do, although I haven’t checked). The University also took over the Byre Theatre in 2014 which, while not designed specifically for music, has hosted recitals and performances of the Byre Opera. That is in addition to St Salvators chapel, also routinely used for concerts.
    More generally, the University does not have a music department offering full music degrees (it offers elective undergraduate courses), but punches way above its weight in terms of musical offering. Quite simply, the standards and quantity of musical activity – especially singing – are outstanding. At my last term there, I sang six days a week, with four different ensembles, and that was barely scratching the surface of what was available. The availability of musical activity there was far greater than at my current uni, which has both college chapel choirs and a full music department.

  • Fred Funk says:

    FINALLY, a music hall that gives the violas the proper feedback. Go PRACTICE!!

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