Music superstar Emeli Sande donates piano to Music Hall project

International superstar Emeli Sande has pledged her support to the redevelopment of Aberdeen’s historic Music Hall – by donating a piano that will be used by local young people.

Aberdeen Performing Arts, the charity behind the Music Hall Transformation, has launched a brand new gifting scheme that will allow members of the public to sponsor an item of their choosing in the newly renovated venue.

Project Stepping In invites people to explore the new blueprint for the building for the first time, with the option to digitally select and contribute towards the new furnishings that will find their home in
the venue for years to come.

Emeli, from Alford in Aberdeenshire, made the generous contribution which will allow APA to purchase a piano for the new Creative Learning studio, which will be a hub for the hundreds of young people who take part in the APA’s Creative Learning programmes over the coming years.

Emeli Sande’s image features on the Music Hall as it is revamped

Emeli is an ambassador for the project and her image is emblazoned on the Music Hall while it’s under wraps. Emeli took her first steps on stage here and has since rocketed to fame, singing at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012.

She said: ‘It’s so important for young people to have a creative space where they can express themselves and grow their passions. The Creative Learning Studio at the Music Hall will provide just that, and I’m pleased to be able to support the project with this contribution.’

APA chief executive Jane Spiers added: ‘Aberdeen’s Emeli Sande became the face of the Music Hall campaign in 2016 when she signed up as an ambassador.

‘We’re absolutely thrilled to have her support for our ambitious project which will secure a future for the Music Hall for the next generation of talented musicians.’

The basement floor plan for Aberdeen Music Hall

Alongside the new piano, there’s a state-of-the-art lift, a glass feature wall, interactive digital touch screen and even a professional paint job for the Willis Organ and pipes.

The new access ramp at the front entrance is also available to sponsor.

These are just some of the new fixtures and finishes that have been placed on sale within an interactive floor plan of the new Music Hall.

And the first 10 donors through the virtual ‘door’ who make a minimum contribution of £100 through the site will be entered into a prize draw to win two tickets to a show at His Majesty’s Theatre, with a choice of tickets for The Kite Runner, Flashdance – The Musical or Son of a Preacher Man up for grabs.

Donors can choose where their money goes.

There are more than 150 items ranging from £10 to £25,000. A tin of ceiling paint or a light switch cashes in at £10, while you can stock the new bars with optics for £40 each. For £50, you can help fit the venue with eco-friendly lighting, while a £100 digital projector screen will improve the meeting and hospitality areas that have been built into the plans.

An artist’s impression of how the Music Hall will look when work is completed

Comfy easy chairs for the new café will cost £200, and percussion
instruments for use by APA’s creative learning classes come in at £300.

For £500, you can sponsor one square metre of a brand new, granite-clad entrance ramp, offering smooth access from street to seat.

The Project Stepping In website can be viewed at projectsteppingin.com.

The £8.7million project is on track for a re-opening date before the end of 2018, with the current fundraising standing at 78% of the total. Aberdeen Performing Arts, which operates the venue, has invested £1.5million of its own reserves into the project, and there have been
considerable contributions from Aberdeen City Council, Creative Scotland, Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Environment Scotland, The Robertson Trust, The Foyle Foundation, Garfield Weston, The Wolfson Foundation and The Hugh Fraser Foundation, while locally, a £150,000 sponsorship deal is in place with Aberdeen Solicitors’ Property Centre (ASPC).

Other supporters include Aberdeen’s own international superstar Dame
Evelyn Glennie, the world’s first solo percussionist and world-class classical violinist and Nicola Benedetti have also pledged their support, as well as Sir Alex Fergusson, Billy Connolly and Bill Bailey, plus three
poets laureate, Liz Lochead, Carol Ann Duffy and Jackie Kay.