The Bramall Music Building on the Edgbaston Campus of The University of Birmingham opened in 2012 and completed the grand crescent alongside the Aston Webb Builidng at the heart of the university which had stood empty for over 100 years.
Bramall Music Building is the home of the University’s outstanding Music Department and completed the grand semi-circle at the heart of the alongside the Listed Grade II Aston Web Building which formed the original building of the university’s Edgbaston Campus.
At the heart of the building is the 450-seat Elgar Concert Hall, named for the university’s first Professor of Music, Sir Edward Elgar. The building is a highly adaptable facility accommodating lecture halls, rehearsal rooms and performance space ranging from that suitable for solos to an 80-piece orchestra. When not used for music The Bramall is a high profile location for drama as well as being open for use by local communities in the Birmingham and West Midlands region.
The facilities have helped the university to “secure an ‘excellent’ teaching rating and 5* research rating for the faculty at the same time as meeting sustainability targets that demand an energy performance ten percent above that set by the Building Regulations.
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The building was designed by Glenn Howells Architects and opened in 2012.
“Features
• Cutting edge AV equipment
• Moveable stage
• White screen with built in back projection
• 16x9ft back-projected screen with optional output to foyer audience
• Auditorium with foyer, mezzanine, meeting spaces and a café
• Digital infrared hearing system, wide lift, 6 wheelchair positions
• Free high-speed Wi-Fi throughout
• High-spec audio-visual technology and in-house AV team
• Moveable stage
• Seating for up to 450 in the auditorium
Capacities
• 450 Theatre
Space
• 377m2 (4058ft2)
• Disabled Access”
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The building was made possible by the generous support of alumni, friends and charitable trusts, including a transformational donation from the Liz and Terry Bramall Charitable Trust. The new building was called Bramhall Music Building to reflect the magnitude of Liz and Terry’s gift and the university’s enduring gratitude.
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Redbrick - The Official University of Birmingham Student Newspaper reviewed The Bramall Music Building when it opened in 2012 in the following article:
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Bramall music building opens
The University of Birmingham’s Bramall Music Building officially opened on Sunday 25th November, with a two-week calendar of concerts and events to celebrate. The Bramall Festival of Music will celebrate the completion of the £16 million redevelopment, which completes the red brick veneer of the Aston Webb semi-circle. It is home to the 450-seat Elgar […]
AshleyKirkAshley is Redbrick's Digital Editor. He is Editor of the Selly Oak Magazine and an English Student as UoB. He has written for the Guardian and the Independent.Published at 15:50 on 29 November 2012
Last updated at 15:51 on 29 November 2012
The University of Birmingham’s Bramall Music Building officially opened on Sunday 25th November, with a two-week calendar of concerts and events to celebrate.The Bramall Festival of Music will celebrate the completion of the £16 million redevelopment, which completes the red brick veneer of the Aston Webb semi-circle. It is home to the 450-seat Elgar Concert Hall as well as the University’s Department of Music. It provides the Music Department, which is ranked two for UK research ranking, with modern teaching, research, performance and rehearsal facilities.
Circles of influence fundraisingThe development is part of the University’s Circles of Influence fundraising campaign, and has been named the Bramall Music Building to commemorate the Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation. 260 students, staff, alumni and friends gave more than £6m to name more than
235 seats, rooms and pieces of equipment.
The Bramall festival includes performances by University of Birmingham alumna Carolyn Sampson and the Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG). Vice-Chancellor David Eastwood delivered an illustrated lecture on Edward Elgar, the University’s first Professor of Music, on Tuesday 27 November.
‘Shot in the arm’Professor Andrew Kirkman, head of the music department said:
The Bramall Building is a fantastic shot in the arm for our music programmes, which are rapidly going from strength to strength. It provides us with a platform to build a fine music department into one of the
world’s best: we are very excited about what the future holds.
We now have what must be one of the best music teaching, research and performance spaces in the UK; it is certainly unique in universities in this country. The University’s students and staff are thrilled, but it is not just for them. It is a community facility. We urge everyone to take a look for themselves.
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The actual concert hall is great; fabulous acoustics and spacious seating’Tori Graney, third year Law student and saxophonist said, ‘The spaciousness and the new facilities like the Costa, which becomes a bar at night, make the building feel like a music venue rather than just a hall. The actual concert hall is great; fabulous acoustics and spacious seating and it feels prestigious too.’"