The Concourse
Photograph: Supplied

The Concourse

Chatswood's modern performance venue boasts great acoustics
  • Music
  • Chatswood
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Time Out says

The civic pride of Sydney’s concertgoers took a bashing in September 2011 when Limelight magazine published a survey of the acoustics of recital halls nationwide. Our world-famous Opera Theatre came in 20th in a field of 20. And its cavernous white-tiled Siamese twin, the SOH Concert Hall, came 18th. Even our dear City Recital Hall Angel Place, adored by local audiophiles, was beaten by the Perth Concert Hall and the Melbourne Recital Centre. Can there be no end to our shame?

Maybe. Now there’s a new kid on the block, or at least on the lower North Shore. Walk 250 metres from Chatswood station down to the end of the Victoria St pedestrian mall and you arrive at an elegant grey steel-and-glass structure that could be mistaken for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao’s straight-laced younger brother. Designed by Richard Francis-Jones, also the architect of the striking Surry Hills Library and Community Centre, and christened 'The Concourse,' it’s the new home of Willoughby City Council Library, but above the book stacks looms a large, airy performing arts centre beyond even the delusional aspirations of Mr G, including a 500-seat theatre where the Willoughby Theatre Company is playing The Boy from Oz.

The Concourse’s flagship is its 1,000 seat Concert Hall, designed in consultation with Marshall Day Acoustics. It’s equipped with sound-dampening drapes on the sides of the Dress Circle that can be lowered like Roman blinds to reduce reverberation from the lingering levels ideal for a chamber orchestra down to the crisp sound needed to keep syllables in speech and singing distinct. Plus it has a Wurlitzer organ.

Concert pianist Kathryn Selby, herself a WCC resident, was the first artist booked to play in the Concert Hall. She loves the “fine craftsmanship and warmth of the interior,” and the “gorgeous” new top-of-the line Steinway D-274 grand.

If our World Heritage-listed Opera House is seeming more show than substance, could this suburban hall equalize Sydney with Melbourne or even Perth? Only time will tell.

Details

Address
409 Victoria Ave
Chatswood
Sydney
2067
Transport:
Nearby stations: Chatswood

What’s on

Willoughby Symphony Orchestra: A Night at the Oscars

The Willoughby Symphony Orchestra brings a taste of Hollywood to town with A Night at the Oscars, featuring music from blockbuster films including Spiderman, Saving Private Ryan and more.  The star of the show will be one of Germany’s finest violinists, Rosa Donata Milton, who returns to The Concourse Concert Hall following her spellbinding performances of Korngold’s Violin Concerto in 2023. She’ll join the Willoughby Symphony Choir under the baton of acclaimed conductor Dr Nicholas Milton AM, as they perform selections from Academy Award-winning soundtracks.  The incredible concert will open with a tribute to the acclaimed film Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, before continuing on a cinematic journey through some of the silver screen's most illustrious soundtracks that just might move you to tears. The full line-up includes Spiderman, Forrest Gump, Hook, Schindler’s List, Angels and Demons, Ladies in Lavender, The Mission, Saving Private Ryan and Amistad.  You can experience the glamour of Hollywood’s night of nights complete with a red carpet and photowall, where you can snap a pic with your very own Oscar – just don’t forget to dress up for the occasion.  Snag your tickets to performances on Saturday, August 16 at 7pm or Sunday, August 17 at 2pm. Prices range from $45 to $99. Get yours here. 
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