Early last month Lord Tony Hall visited Stamford Endowed Schools where he toured the new Llowarch Performing Arts Centre as well as the refurbished Oswald Elliott Hall and music rooms before officially declaring them open.
The Old Gymnasium and Stamford School Hall have undergone a transformation into a Performing Arts hub, from which the whole of the Stamford Endowed Schools will benefit. The facilities include new studios and rehearsal spaces for drama and recording suites for music, as well as a performance space in the Oswald Elliott Hall with brand new lighting rigs and sound equipment. The Hall has already played host to this term’s successful Foundation Lectures and music concerts.
As Director-General of the BBC, Lord Tony Hall has spent most of his life working in creative industries. At the opening, Lord Hall was led around a special Festival of the Arts, held by students, as choirs and ‘Grease’ rehearsals were staged around the performing arts centre for guests to enjoy. There were also performances from some of the school’s musicians and dramatists in the Oswald Elliott Hall, where Lord Hall addressed the school on the power of the creative arts, and the importance of the next generation and new talent within the field.
Lord Hall said of the facilities: “What’s great is, they are not just for those who act, or sing, or dance, or play music here. They are also for the many hundreds – thousands, I would imagine – who will sit in the audience.”
Principal of SES, Stephen Roberts, said: “These new facilities are a great addition to the Schools, and more importantly, they will be a wonderful benefit to our students, to help support and encourage the immense talent the Schools hold within the Performing Arts.”
