In episode 13, we speak with Alberto Favaro of Studio Seilern Architects about the design and construction process of the G.W.A. Performing Arts Centre at Wellington College, London.

Inspired by Grecian amphitheatres and surrounded by forest, this circular structure clad in charred-timber, houses a 2,580 square metre auditorium with two-tier seating for over 900 persons, and equipped with the highest acoustic, audio-visual and stage lighting specification at its core.

We discuss:

• How Studio Seilern won the contract
• The design approach and challenges of building a theatre in a forest
• The forest’s influence on the theatre aesthetics
• Sustainability aspirations of the project
• How the singular purpose of the theatre affected the design process
• Putting a helicopter on stage
• How to control acoustics in a circular theatre

Find out more about the venue on the Wellington College website and visit Studio Seilern Architects website here.

For more episodes of the High Point podcast, follow⁠⁠⁠ this link⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠this one for Youtube⁠⁠⁠.

Welcome aboard the only net zero theatre in the world!

Moored up in the historic docks of Canary Wharf, Theatreship will contribute to the exciting new development of the area, while reflecting and preserving local history.

This space will support and celebrate a range of art forms: from western orchestral music to Bengali cinema; from classics of queer theatre to local contemporary art; from academic lectures to theatrical workshops for kids. Globally recognised artists will perform alongside local and underrepresented creatives, drawing new people to the area and engaging the existing community.

Marc catches up with Inigo Lapwood, an expert in restoration and repair of historic steel ships and discusses:

• Where did the ship come from?
• How will it be converted into a Theatre?
• Why is the history of the area so important?
• How do you control the acoustics within a giant metal tube?
• Creating the world’s first net-zero theatre (not just at sea!)

To learn more about Theatreship, check out ⁠their website⁠ and follow their progress on⁠ Instagram⁠ or on ⁠Facebook⁠.

For more episodes of the High Point podcast, follow⁠⁠⁠ this link⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠this one for Youtube⁠⁠⁠.

Tapio Lokki is professor at Aalto University in Finland.

His passion is to understand how rooms modify the sound that we hear.

To pursue the encompassing understanding of room acoustics, his research team is investigating auralization, spatial sound reproduction, binaural technology, and novel objective and subjective evaluation methods, as well as physically-based room acoustics modelling methods.

Particularly, the interest has been in concert halls, in which the team has developed: 

• new measurement techniques
• analysis methods for spatial impulse responses
• sensory evaluation methods to understand the perceptual differences between concert halls.

In this episode, Tapio talks to us about:

• What makes a great concert hall.
• What is reverberation.
• How he and his team measure reflections using 45 Loudspeakers. 
• Measuring musical emotion in the finger tips and using it in the study of concert hall acoustics. 
• The difference between Vineyard and Shoebox concert halls.
• Future of concert hall acoustics.
• How wood fibre pulp is used as a net-zero sound absorber

We also listen to some of Tapio’s recordings to compare the acoustics of the Berlin Concert House, Vienna Musikverein, Helsinki Musiikkitalo, and the Berliner Philharmonie.

To know more about Tapio’s research, follow this link. 

For more episodes of the High Point podcast, follow⁠⁠⁠ this link⁠⁠⁠.

or ⁠⁠⁠this one for Youtube⁠⁠⁠.

In Episode 10 of the High Point podcast, Vanessa Toulmin and Paul Anderton, members of Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust, take us through the history and plans of renovating of ‘The Albert Hall of the North’ which has hosted concerts from Elgar, Julie Andrews, The Who, and the Rolling Stones.

In its heyday, Morecambe Winter Gardens was a sparkling example of the entertainment venues that were the essence of British seaside towns. With lavish interiors and striking features, the original complex combined swimming baths, an aquarium, the winter gardens and restaurants. After a decline in British seaside holidays, by 1982 the whole complex was closed to the public.

The only part that still remains is the theatre, which dates back to 1897. With help from DCMS’s Culture Recovery Fund, the Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust and the dedicated group of volunteers are a step closer to achieving their aim: to fully restore and reopen the glorious Grade II building, so it can be at the heart of Morecambe once again.

With Vanessa and Paul, we discuss:

• The Legal issues the Trust encountered when taking ownership of the building. 
• How covid affected the renovation process.
• Renovating a historical venue to accommodate modern equipment.
• Historical Performances.
• Raising £4.5 Million.
• How the Theatres Trust advised and continues to support them.
• The importance of building a community of Morecambe.

Find out more about Morecambe Winter Gardens on their website here.

For more episodes of the High Point podcast, follow⁠⁠⁠ this link⁠⁠⁠.

or ⁠⁠⁠this one for Youtube⁠⁠⁠.

We meet with Sophie, Michelle and Steve from the Burnley Empire Trust to discuss the massive renovation project of one of Britain’s most unique theatres.

Once complete, The Empire will be a new centre of activity for local cultural and creative communities as well as a space for learning, socialising and collaboration for everyone.

This is not just about restoring beautiful architecture; this is about building a new space that through its work will support local businesses and people and bring prosperity to Burnley, both in economic and social terms.

 You’ll hear:

• The History of Burnley Empire Theatre
• Creation of Burnley Empire Trust
• Hoewthey were able to buy the building
• Acquiring ‘charitable’ status
• The renovation
• Engaging the local community in the project
• Collaborating with other organisations such as the Theatre’s Trust
• How they’ve applied for funding
• Working with Manchester School of Architecture
• Their future goals
• Memories of the project so far
• Advice for others looking to do something similar

Learn more on the Burnley Empire Trust website, or follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

For more episodes of the High Point podcast, follow⁠⁠⁠ this link⁠⁠⁠.

or ⁠⁠⁠this one for Youtube⁠⁠⁠.

From the Hoddinott Hall at the Wales Millennium centre in Cardiff Bay, Lisa Tregale joins us to talk about her career history and what led her to becoming Director of the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales.

We also discuss:

● Growing up in the Devon town of Newton Abbot, and why she chose to learn the Saxophone as a child.

● How an unconventional degree program at York University inspired her to pursue a career in arts management.

● Helping to rebuild Devon communities through the arts during the Foot and Mouth crisis.

● Founding the South West Music School and why she’s so passionate that musical education be accessible to ALL children.

● How musical intervention can be used to treat acute illness, and the importance of implementing it into child development.

● Musical education challenges in the UK.

● What her role entails and the inner workings of the BBC NOW.

● Lisa’s personal experiences with the challenges that women face in the music industry.

● Her ongoing charity work with The Aloud Charity, Dartington International Summer School Foundation, Association Of British Orchestras, and Open Up Music.

For more episodes of the High Point podcast, follow⁠⁠⁠ this link⁠⁠⁠.

or ⁠⁠⁠this one for Youtube⁠⁠⁠.

From ⁠The Nia Centre ⁠in Hulme, Jonathan Berman talks us through The Franz Schmidt project in which he is recording all four of Schmidt’s symphonies with the ⁠BBC National Orchestra of Wales (NOW)⁠, leading to the composer’s 150th Birthday in 2024.

In this episode we discuss:

• His motivation behind The Franz Schmidt Project
• Schmidt’s work and his natural gifts
• The challenges of interpreting Schmidt’s scores
• The advantage of musical literacy
• Working with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales
• How Jonathan sets up his orchestra
• Microphone choices and techniques for recording
• Manipulating the acoustics of venues
• Controlling the dynamics of the orchestra
• Why the performance is broken down into sections when recording
• The different mindsets required for live performance vs recording
• How important the live experience is to Classical Music
• Jonathan’s favourite venues

Listen to Jonathan’s recording of Schmidt’s Symphony No. 1 in E Major on ⁠Spotify⁠

Follow Jonathan on ⁠Instagram⁠ and discover more about him and the Franz Schmidt Project on his ⁠website⁠.

For more episodes of the High Point podcast, follow⁠⁠⁠ this link⁠⁠⁠.

or ⁠⁠⁠this one for Youtube⁠⁠⁠.

In the episode 006 of the High Point podcast, we had the pleasure to visit Claire Appleby and Jon Morgan from the Theatres Trust at the Criterion Theatre (in the middle of the West End in London).

   (Note: apologies if you can hear the tubes passing by and the building works. We tried to edit the episode the best we could to reduce their noise.)

In this episode, we talk about:

• the role of the Theatres Trust and how it supports theatres and performance spaces in the UK. 
• the structure of the organisation.
• why theatres are so important for cities, businesses and communities. 
• the Theatres at Risk initiative aiming at putting light on theatre buildings under threat and at risk.
• how the Theatres Trust helps theatres and similar buildings to reduce their impact on the environment (through the Theatre Green Book).
• how the Theatres Trust supported theatres during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the episode 005 of the High Point podcast, we had the pleasure to visit Kate McGeevor and Simon Borkin at Stretford Public Hall (within Greater Manchester, United Kingdom) who told us about the story of buying and renovating the place.

In this episode, Kate and Simon take you through:

• the history of hall
• involving the local community as much as they can
• raising money
• making renovation plans
• buying the hall from Trafford Council
• growing the organisation, Friends of Stretford Public Hall

The process took a while, but the structure of the organisation is now solid and sustainable, ready to make ambitious plans for the future.