Keep it Live Appeal

The Queen's Hall is a 900-seat concert hall in Edinburgh playing a key role in Scotland's cultural life. Bought and converted from a fine Georgian Church with 'A' listing status in 1979, it now presents and promotes live music in all its forms and is Edinburgh's only mid-scale venue equipped for this purpose. It seeks to present work of the highest quality across all types of music and regards all musical genres as being of equal value and worth. Our commitment is to make the annual programme accessible to all sectors of the community. The Hall operates as a registered Charity (No SC012294) and is managed by a voluntary Board of Trustees.

Maintaining the fabric of the building

The original church of Newington and St. Leonards which has become The Queen's Hall was built in 1823 and is an impressive example of our Georgian architectural heritage. Maintaining an 'A' listed building of this nature is a costly business with all the attendant repairs and renewals associated with a building of this age. For example, a previous donation enabled us to replace the external roof in order to protect the ceiling of the Hall which is original plaster and lathe and integral to the fine acoustic. We also now need to identify funds to prepare a Conservation plan and paint analysis for future Heritage work on the building.

Core Costs of running the organisation

The Hall costs around £980,000 to run each year with £630,000 of this total being provided by our own trading income from the hire of the facilities and bar and catering sales. The City of Edinburgh Council and The Scottish Arts Council provide grants of £150,000 which means we have to raise a further £100,000 each year from patrons of the Hall and Charitable Trusts and Foundations.

The Concert Programme

The Hall derives its annual programme through c. 200 hires of its facilities by a wide range of professional and amateur organisations. This is complemented by 30 - 50 of our own promotions where the management seek out artists who match the Hall's artistic policy. Many of these concerts can be staged without subsidy but securing a programme of high profile artists requires an element of funding because of the additional production costs associated with top name performers. We also have a strong track record in arranging music education programmes linked to concerts and with artists appearing at the Hall. An element of funding is provided by The Scottish Arts Council, The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and other cultural bodies but if you want your donation can be allocated to supporting and improving the live music programme.

Hall Facilities

Attracting top concert promoters to the Hall hinges on the quality of our technical facilities and equipment. For example we have recently raised £125,000 to install new lighting, sound and ticketing equipment to enable us to improve the presentation of concerts for patrons and to enhance resources for clients. We now need to raise funds to buy better music stands and to replace the chairs at a cost of £60,000.

Contact Us

If you wish to discuss how you can help support the work of the Hall or sit on the Board of a Grant Giving Trust whose aims concur with our own please contact -

David Heavenor - Development Manager

davidh@queenshalledinburgh.org

If you wish to get in touch, you can use the form below to reach us too.