Bridgewater Hall
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The Bridgewater Hall is an international concert venue in Manchester, England. It is a world-class venue that cost around £42 million to build and currently hosts over 250 performances a year. It is located in Lower Mosley Street.
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[edit] Background
Since its opening on 11 September 1996 it has been the home of the Hallé Orchestra and the Manchester Boys Choir and is a regular venue for concerts of the BBC Philharmonic and Manchester Camerata. From September 2002 it has been home to the Halle Youth Orchestra and Youth Choir; founded for musicians under the age of nineteen who do not have the benefit of full time musical education.
The venue is named after the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater who commissioned the Bridgewater Canal which crosses Manchester. The canal basin adjacent to the hall is not, however, a branch of the Bridgewater Canal, but of the Rochdale Canal.
The Manchester Metropolitan University hold Graduation in the hall, in July each year since 2006.
The architects were Renton Howard Wood Levin. The acoustics were designed by Rob Harris of Arup Acoustics; his colleagues in Arup were the building engineers.
Inside, the central focal point of the hall is a magnificent pipe organ (with 5,500 pipes) built by Marcussen & Son, which dominates the 2,400 seat auditorium, completely covering the rear wall with a beautiful blend of wood and burnished metal.
The main auditorium sits on the foundation on earthquake-proof isolation bearings (consisting of steel springs) which insulate it from noise and vibration from the adjacent road and Metrolink line.[1]
2006 saw the 10th anniversary of its opening with special performances by La Scala Philharmonic, St Petersburg Philharmonic and the well-known pianist Alfred Brendel.
[edit] Royal Visit
HM The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will visit the Hall on 28th February 2008 as part of a day visit to Manchester. They will attend a closed rehearsal of the Halle Orchestra as part of its 150th Anniversary season.
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