RHSPT Welcomes Approval of New National Centre for Music
7 October 2021
The Royal High School Preservation Trust (RHSPT) has welcomed today’s decision by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Finance and Resources Committee to approve the restoration of the iconic Thomas Hamilton building on Calton Hill as a world-class centre for music education and public performance for the benefit of the whole of Scotland.
The RSHPT’s updated proposal, submitted to the council last month, brings together a network of partner organisations, alongside St Mary’s Music School, including the Benedetti Foundation and IMPACT (International Music and Performing Arts Charitable Trust) Scotland with a shared vision of creating a National Centre for Music as a new platform for musical collaborations, both within the building, online and out in the wider community.
The bid is backed by an expanded gift from philanthropist Carol Colburn Grigor and Dunard Fund totalling £55 million to cover the capital costs and support the future maintenance of the Thomas Hamilton building.
“ We are thrilled that our shared vision for a new world-class centre for music education and public performance can move forward at last. The project has brought together an unprecedented range of partners, all of whom recognise collaboration as the key to realising Scotland's potential as a world leader in music education, and creating an entirely new way for the nation to engage with and enjoy classical music. We would also like to recognise the efforts of everyone who has spoken up for conserving and protecting the former Royal High and all those who have voiced their support for our aims. We remain enormously grateful to the Trustees of Dunard Fund for their unfailing foresight and generosity towards the Royal High School Preservation Trust. ”
"This is a truly exciting day for St Mary’s Music School. Not only does it bring us a huge step closer to having a new home for the school; it also places us at the centre of a project that will deliver and enhance world-class music education for people from all backgrounds across Scotland in a setting that will be second to none.
"We would like to congratulate everyone who has made this possible, including the Councillors who have recognised the value that the proposal will deliver for Edinburgh and the whole of Scotland. We are also enormously grateful for the ongoing support of our stakeholders in the world of arts and education, as well as the people of Edinburgh who have backed us warmly over the past five years.
"Our thanks in particular go to Dunard Fund, whose unfailing generosity has enabled us to be central to the shared vision of creating a new platform for musical collaborations, both within the building, online and out in the wider community."
Dr Kenneth Taylor, Headteacher at St Mary’s Music School
"Music, when created, played and listened to with integrity, allows us to strip away all that separates us and urges us to see and feel what unites us. The National Centre for Music presents us with an unprecedented opportunity to enrich the cultural life of Scotland and to serve as a beacon of true 21st century music education for the world to see.
"Thanks to the generosity and vision of Carol Colburn Grigor and Dunard Fund, we have the means, as well as the collective will and dedication from all walks of Scottish life, to realise a revolutionary vision. We are entering a rare and beautiful moment in Scotland’s history, where a phenomenal combination of individuals and organisations are tirelessly working together to achieve the highest possible inclusivity and excellence in music, all equally committed to enriching our national story and legacy. Furthermore, we have a new governmental commitment to free instrumental tuition for Scotland’s young people. We are not working uphill and, when it comes to Arts and Culture, this is not to be taken for granted. We must embrace this moment.
"The National Centre for Music will be a warm and welcoming place for all ages, abilities and backgrounds, where people can come together and be uplifted through participation in and appreciation of music. It will be home to a comprehensive celebration of musical traditions and interests from around the world and will embrace a diverse range of teachers, ideologies, pedagogies, students, pupils and audiences. I have never been more optimistic about the potential of Scotland’s musical and cultural future."
Nicola Benedetti, Founder and Artistic Director, Benedetti Foundation
"We’re delighted that the proposed National Centre for Music has met the approval of Councillors, which is great news not just for the people of Edinburgh but for everyone across Scotland who loves music and values its potential to shape young lives for the better. We are hugely excited about the potential for collaborations with the Dunard Centre and its partners which will deliver new opportunities for young people from all communities and across all musical genres."
Joanna Baker, Executive Director, IMPACT Scotland
"Having felt compelled to conserve Thomas Hamilton’s masterpiece, one of the finest neo-classical buildings in the world, Dunard Fund is delighted by today’s decision by the City of Edinburgh Council. Dunard Fund has also been determined to find a sustainable use for the old Royal High School buildings and is delighted to support the creation of a new National Centre for Music, which its Trustees consider to be truly inspiring. Dunard Fund looks forward to seeing this shared vision realised in the coming years."
Colin Liddell, Trustee of Dunard Fund
The full submission can be viewed on the RHSPT website – www.rhspt.org.