London’s new hall manager commits to classical music
NewsThe longrunning disaster known as Fairfield Halls has appointed a new general manager.
Jonathan Higgins, who has been running festivals in and around Carlisle, has this to say:
‘As we build back from the devastation caused by the COVID-19 crisis, this new and exciting programme of signature concerts, alongside numerous stellar performances by our Resident Orchestra the London Mozart Players, will firmly re-establish Fairfield Halls’ classical programming, which is the backbone of shows and events that are to be staged in the Festival Concert Hall….
‘We have an internationally renowned concert hall, the excellent Ashcroft Theatre and a variety of versatile studio spaces, and they’re all there to be used, and as much as possible! As well as attracting major names, theatre shows and brilliant classical acts, I want to see diversity in our programming and more local children on Fairfield’s stages. I also encourage local choirs, amateur theatre groups, youth theatres and dance schools to get in touch, they should all feel able to come and be part of our future. It’s Croydon’s venue, a community venue and everything else comes after that.’
Sounds good.
Fairfield has one of the best concert hall acoustics in London.
Far better than the Festival hall “bone dead” acoustic space, and a quantum leap better than the proms venue at the cavernous and ridiculous Albert hall.
I had no idea why Croydon has been off the map so long, but maybe I have some idea.
It should have taken the place of Barbican.
Maybe it’s a problem of “out of town” south bank not being on the tube map.
Given a choice between getting on a tube to a central concert hall, (or may I see CG opera or ENO) or having to struggle on and off buses/southern region trains, and/or struggling to get there by car on a rainy evening, (out of London’s LEZ -emission zone disaster area), I know Fairfield bit by bit made it as old hat and unviable as nearby Gatwick.
That’s a great shame which could have easily been sorted 2 decades ago.
Purely a perception problem. A fast train from London Bridge to East Croydon takes about the same time as walking from South Ken to RAH I reckon
Have you tried walking from East Croydon Station to Fairfield Hall at night? It’s not perception you need, it’s body armour!
I’ve sung there myself as a soloist, and it is excellent. Yes, the old psychological problem of being not only well south of the River, but in not so great Croydon town, and then not a simple tube journey. Fairfield Halls is a good hall but it’s small, and will need to be marketed well to succeed and appeal to those there particularly with unusual demography and culture of Croydon itself.
If the hire fees are made affordable for promoters with low budgets, the Fairfield could potentially garner a lot of interest. The London music scene is full of musical outfits running on a shoestring, many of which have excellent performers and adventurous programmes, but which struggle to break even. One of the biggest budget items is venue hire fees (keep in mind that, in addition to hiring a venue for the concert itself, an ensemble or orchestra needs to hire somewhere to rehearse), so any reduction there would be very welcome. With its outstanding transport connections and great acoustics, the Fairfield has the potential to put itself on the map as the venue of choice for the classical-music community all over London and the Home Counties… provided that it is affordable. One solution might be to offer a hire option with a lower fixed fee but a higher percentage commission on ticket sales (and a severe limit on how many complimentary tickets the promoter can distribute).
FH was my first serious concert venue as a teenage performer, playing continuo in something or other so long ago it hurts to even think about it. It was a prestigious venue then and deserves to be now. All power to Jonathan Higgins.
Maybe it can take over from the former concert hall at the South Bank, which has been turned into almost anything but
If my memory serves me right, the acoustics are not good, they are first class.
He has a good product but successful promotion will not be easy. I wish him well.
Let’s all wish him well! It’s a fantastic space. I trust everyone’s seen the iconic film of Bernstein conducting the LSO there, in Rite of Spring and Sibelius 5?