The Dunard Centre will be a year-round cultural destination; a vibrant, bustling hub in the heart of the city centre where people of all backgrounds, ages and stages of life will gather, create and connect. Whether you’re dropping by for a phenomenal live show, a creative class, a free performance or a coffee, you’ll find a place that’s alive with creativity and community.
The 1,000-seater auditorium at the heart of the venue will provide a stage for all kinds of music, as well as spoken word, comedy and corporate events. But as a living, breathing centre for the community, we’ll be open around the concerts too, with visitors streaming in to use our multi-purpose rooms, rehearsal and recording facilities, indoor-outdoor café and bars.
Our mission is to create a world-leading concert hall that champions the very best in live performance, across all genres – and invites everyone to be part of it.
The Dunard Centre will provide a permanent home for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, using this new year-round base to support their mission to inspire and connect with people of all ages. It will be a new venue for the Edinburgh International Festival, providing a stunning new space for its unparalled programme and supplying a long-unmet need in the city’s cultural infrastructure. Beyond this, our year-round programme will offer live performance of all genres: rock and choral, classical and jazz, folk and blues, traditional and world music.
But we also want to bring more music to more people. Whether that’s by finding out what stops people from going to see live music, or by opening up the ways and means by which people of all ages and stages can enjoy the deep benefits that come from connecting with music, creativity and each other – we’ll go out of our way to make sure that everyone is encouraged to come and experience the space for themselves, with a particular emphasis on creating welcoming opportunities for under-represented audience groups.
It’s one factor in why it is so important we’re building our venue in this city centre location, which couldn’t be easier to get to – both for locals, and those travelling from further afield.
We’ll have multiple transport hubs, right on our doorstep – Edinburgh Waverley, Edinburgh Bus Station and St Andrew Square tram stop are all within a five minute walk of our box office. New public pathways will also mean visitors can approach the venue from all sides, with entrance points on St Andrew Square, Elder Street and Register Place.
