The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Victoria University’s Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music are exploring a joint proposal to use the Wellington City Council’s Civic Square campus buildings to potentially create a centre of excellence for education, music and the arts.
Under this proposal, the NZSO and NZSM
will investigate the option of co-locating in the Wellington Town Hall and the
adjoining Municipal Office Building. This could create a nationally significant
centre of excellence and innovation for education, music, culture and the arts,
as well as providing for ongoing use by the local community.
“The option being looked at by the
Wellington City Council opens the path for us to undertake a joint feasibility
study to establish a public and cultural precinct in Wellington’s centre. This
aligns with the NZSO and Victoria University’s visionary proposal to develop a
civic heart for our creative capital,” says Victoria University of Wellington’s
Vice-Chancellor Professor Grant Guilford.
NZSO Chief Executive Christopher Blake
says: “The NZSO envisages a transformation of the Wellington Town Hall into a
major and nationally significant centre of excellence and innovation for
education, music, culture and the arts with its world class auditorium at its
heart. The Wellington City Council’s Civic Precinct Master Plan would ensure
the internationally acclaimed acoustics of the Town Hall auditorium are put to
their best use.”
The feasibility study will assess whether
the buildings can accommodate the specialised spaces and resources required.
If the study shows this is a viable
option, both the NZSM and NZSO will work with the Wellington City Council to
consult with staff, stakeholders and the public about the next steps to develop
a major civic and cultural centre with the world class auditorium of the
Wellington Town Hall at its heart.
