Open Cambridge - the University Offices - University of Cambridge

BEHIND THE SCENES
Pitch
perfect
West Road Concert Hall attracts
world-leading performers, is used by
the University’s Faculty of Music –
and finds space in its busy programme
for local music groups. Meet the
person who makes it all happen
Philip Mynott
How many people does it take to run
a concert hall? A large concert hall with
three resident ensembles, more than 300
events a year and a place visited by heads
of state?
Large music venues might draw on
scores of employees but at West Road
Concert Hall the job falls to George
Unsworth, her assistant Nell Halford and
a group of three dedicated custodians.
The days may be long and the work
intense, but keeping the team small has
it advantages, as George explains. “It
would be nice for us to have facilities
such as a box office and marketing
department, but as soon as you do, your
costs increase. These then have to be
passed on to the groups who perform
here, and we don’t want to turn people
away because we have become too
expensive.”
The challenge, then, is to maintain
the concert hall as a space that appeals to
professionals, is open to community music
groups, and can accommodate the needs
of the University’s Faculty of Music, one
of the oldest and most famous university
music departments in the world.
It is a difficult balance to strike,
but a quick run-through of this year’s
programme suggests it is one that
George and her team have honed to
a fine art. For instance, the summer
months have seen high-profile slots
for the Academy of Ancient Music, the
2009 Darwin Anniversary Festival and
BBC television’s Question Time (with
Any Questions? scheduled for October
this year). But there have also been
performances by youth, community
and student groups – from the National
Youth Recorder Orchestra, the Cambridge
Handel Opera Group and a large number
of University music groups.
Not surprisingly, George’s work
as Concert Hall Manager is varied.
One day she might be stuffing sheet
music into folders for the BBC Proms;
another liaising with the Vice-Chancellor’s
Office and police over security for a
foreign dignitary.
So just why does West Road punch
above its weight as a venue? One reason
is its exceptional acoustics. You might
“The fantastic
acoustics were
one of the
reasons why
I came to work
at West Road”
Find out more
For more information,
including a programme of
events and details of West
Road’s resident ensembles
– the Academy of Ancient
Music, the Britten Sinfonia
and the Endellion String
Quartet – log on to
www.westroad.org
George Unsworth, Concert Hall Manager at West Road
expect nothing less from a concert
hall designed by Sir Leslie Martin,
the architect responsible for the Royal
Festival Hall in London. But that said,
George believes there aren’t many
spaces in the world that surpass its
sound quality.
The acoustics were one of the reasons
why George herself came to work at
West Road, having spent time in senior
positions at the London Philharmonic
Orchestra, Barbican and Academy of St
Martin in the Fields. One of the others
was the chance to work for a concert
hall that had strong links with local
community groups. She mentions the
Cambridge Holiday Orchestra, which
offers a wide range of musical activities,
including bands, choirs and a full
orchestra for young musicians. Many
Cambridge staff, she adds, are involved
with local music groups that make use
of the hall.
“I suppose we’re a bit like a garage,”
she says, laughing. “People park their
events in us, but that’s not always such
a bad thing.”
10 | september/october 2009 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter