New Edinburgh music venues land share of £14m cash pot

The Herald Scotland

24-07-2025

The Wolfson Foundation has agreed to support the creation of a new National Centre for Music and concert hall at the former Royal High School, one of the city's most prominent landmarks, on Calton Hill.
It will also be funding Edinburgh's first purpose-built concert hall for a century, which is earmarked for a site behind a Royal Bank of Scotland building in the New Town.
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The two projects, which have both been in the planning for more than decade, will get a share of £14m worth of grants announced by a UK-wide charity.
And it is hoped they will be able to secure further support as the projects progress in the next few years.
The Dunard Centre will be Edinburgh's first purpose-built concert hall for more than a century. (Image: David Chipperfield Architects)
Both projects are being largely bankrolled by Scotland's biggest arts philanthropist, Carol Colburn Grigor.
Her Dunard Fund has committed at least £45m to the £69m National Centre for [[Music]] project. It recently secured a pledge of up to £5m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £2.85m from a separate charitable trust set up by the late British philanthropist Julia Rausing.
A new National Centre for Music will be created on Edinburgh's Calton Hill under plans to transform the former Royal High School building. (Image: Supplied)
The Dunard Centre, which is expected to cost more than £115m to build, has secured £80m of private support, including £35m from Ms Grigor's charity, as well as £25m from the Scottish and UK governments, and the city council.
The Wolfson Foundation plans to spend more than £200m across the UK over the next five years, across arts, science, health and heritage projects.
The Dunard Centre concert hall will be created in the heart of Edinburgh's New Town. (Image: Supplied)
The National Centre for Music project, which has been awarded an initial £500,000 from the foundation, will see three indoor performance spaces created inside the A-listed building.
The grounds of the complex, which is due to open in 2027, will become home to the first public gardens in the city since the creation of Princes Street Gardens more than 200 years ago.
The Dunard Centre project, which has been allocated an initial £100,000 by the foundation, will see a 1000-capacity concert hall built off St Andrew Square, next to the new St James Quarter complex, by 2029.
The new venue, which is expected to showcase all forms of music, will become a new home for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and will be used by the Edinburgh International Festival each August.
A spokesperson for the National Centre for Music said: 'This grant will help protect and save the heritage of one of the most remarkable A listed buildings in Edinburgh.
'Our project will create a home for the National Centre for Music which will offer a range of ways for people who live, work and visit the city to come together to engage with the built and social heritage, and Scottish music heritage.
'The National Centre for Music is a newly created charity which will nurture and celebrate the richness of Scotland's music making – across all genres and all levels. It will become an iconic destination – where artists come to deepen their practice, make new work and connect with others, and where audiences come to expand their passions and have uplifting experiences.
'The former Royal High School will provide an inspiring setting in which to learn, make and share music. With a flexible main hall, a suite of practice rooms and a recording studio, it will provide significant new facilities for Scotland's musicians – from top professionals to those just starting their musical learning.
'The National Centre for Music will be a city centre venue for diverse musical communities, participants and audiences. A public engagement programme is being developed that will include creative learning, heritage interpretation, and community-led activity shaped by ongoing consultation.
'Particular attention is being given to reaching groups who are often underrepresented in culture and heritage, including young people, people living in local communities of socioeconomic deprivation, and people with additional support needs."
A spokesperson for the Dunard Centre said: 'This generous funding will be instrumental in supporting our ambitious vision to create a new, world-class concert hall in the heart of Edinburgh, catering for 21st century audiences and artists.
'With a mission to create an inclusive, accessible hub, the venue will be 'a hall for all', offering opportunities for people of all ages and stages to learn, participate, create and engage with the arts, as well as opening up a new, free-to-access public space.
'This inaugural grant marks the first step in our relationship with the Wolfson Foundation.
'With a shared commitment to promoting and supporting excellence, we look forward to developing our relationship as plans for Edinburgh's first concert hall in 100 years progress.'
Other projects being funded in Scotland include the Angus arts centre Hospitalfield, which has secured £150,000 for a restoration of its building and a new collections study centre.
Earlier this year, Wolfson Foundation chief executive Paul Ramsbottom said the charity was aware of a 'crucial need' for capital infrastructure funding for projects across the UK.
He said: 'There are few other similar sources of funding and yet organisations need to keep investing in their physical infrastructure.
'A majority of our funding in the next five years will therefore be allocated for infrastructure: refurbishment, equipment and new build.'