Worst news: Wales to dump its premier concert hall

Cardiff City Council is proposing to give up responsibility for St David’s Hall, the nationa’s premier concert hall. The likeliest bidder for the franchise is AMG/Live Nation, a pop concerts promoter.

St David’s, built in 1982 and with an excellent acoustic, has 2,000 seats and an intimate atmosphere (I have spoken from the stage to a full house without a microphone). St David’s is the home base of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, which will have no other suitable venue, also of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World. Wales is about to lose a national asset, built with public money.

Although one understands the need for Crdiff Council to focus on core activities, the hall is no drain on its resources and, after subsidy, returns a small profit – not to mention immeasurable collateral benefits to the economy of the Welsh capital. Its privatisation will further weaken Welsh National Opera, already maimed by loss of Arts Council England subsidy.

Without St David’s, why would one ever visit Cardiff again.

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