Construction work has officially begun on The Dunard Centre in Edinburgh's UNESCO World Heritage New Town. A groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of the four-year construction programme for what will, on completion, become the city's first purpose-built concert hall in 100 years.
The event started with a series of performances demonstrating the diversity of music the concert hall will be able to host. These included a string quartet of Scottish Chamber Orchestra musicians, piping by Finlay MacDonald, Director of The National Piping Centre, and a rendition of Caledonia by Scottish singer-songwriter Dougie MacLean and pupils from Broughton Primary School.
This was followed by speeches by Chief Executive of the Dunard Centre Jo Buckley; The First Minister of Scotland John Swinney; Under-Secretary of State for Scotland Kirsty McNeill; CEO of Balfour Beatty Nick Crossfield; NatWest Group CEO Paul Thwaite and; architect Sir David Chipperfield.
The almost 1,000 seat venue will provide a permanent home for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and provide a new space for a range of musical performances – both acoustic and amplified – as well as events, strengthening Edinburgh’s position as a cultural capital.
"We are deeply honoured to have been selected to design this new cultural building in the historic heart of Edinburgh. We look forward to the concert hall becoming a significant contribution to Edinburgh's cultural life and finding its place in the city's extraordinary architectural and urban heritage." – David Chipperfield