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BBC News
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
25-year lease signed with Bradford Live operator
Bradford's newest music venue has the potential to boost the council's income by £17m over the next 25 years, the authority has said. Trafalgar Entertainment was announced as the new operator of Bradford Live, a 3,800-seat former cinema, earlier this year. Bradford Council said it has now signed a 25-year lease with the company, guaranteeing an annual rental income for the venue as well as a share of the venue was billed as a key part of Bradford's plans for its City of Culture year but was mired in controversy after the original operator, NEC Group, pulled out in September. Trafalgar Entertainment has already installed thousands of seats in the 1930s Art Deco building since taking is set to open in September, with a preview event due to take place on 1 August to mark Yorkshire Day. The Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra will lead a celebratory concert called "Yorkshire Calling" at the newly restored venue, and will be joined by the Bantam of the Opera choir. The choir is made up of a group of Bradford City supporters - known as Bantams - selected by the BBC. Aside from the preview, no acts have as yet been confirmed to perform but the council said a full programme of events would be announced in the "near future". Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, said: "Now that Trafalgar Entertainment are confirmed as the operators, we are happy to reveal the details of the contract. "This project is about so much more than the money though; Bradford Live is a building the people of Bradford campaigned to save, and we did. "It's a building of social and cultural significance which has now been restored as one of the premier venues in the country with a bright future ahead under the expert management of Trafalgar Entertainment, who we've been delighted to welcome to Bradford."Initially forecast to cost between £22m and £25m, the venue has been funded by almost £44m from Bradford Council, with the rest coming from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the government and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bantam of the Opera choir to perform at Bradford Live
Bradford City fans will open the new Bradford Live music venue with a performance as part of a Yorkshire Day Bantam of the Opera, a group of supporters selected by the BBC, will perform as a choir alongside the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra on 1 fans have been taught to sing opera to mark the city's stint as UK City of Culture as part of a BBC Radio Leeds project has been backed by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, opera singer Lesley Garrett and former City boss and sports presenter Chris Kamara. Members of the choir range from a 90-year-old match-day volunteer at the club to an 18-year-old A-Level at the 3,800-capacity venue were initially scheduled for November 2024, but the shows were cancelled and customers were Live was taken over by Trafalgar Entertainment in February after NEC Group pulled out of running the venue. Initially forecast to cost between £22m and £25m, the venue has been funded by almost £44m from Bradford Council, with the rest coming from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), the government and the Heritage Lottery Group had been announced as the operator as long ago as 2017, but pulled out following a "strategic review of its business", according to a spokesperson. 'Unbelievable' Kamara, who had a 20-year playing career and managed Bradford City between 1995 and 1998, will be leading the choir during their performance."It was unbelievable how good they're sounding already," he said after hearing the choir rehearse. "It's great to see the fans unite in such a community driven way."The choir will also perform at Bradford City's stadium to help mark 40 years since the Valley Parade fire, which claimed the lives of 56 singers will be on the pitch at half time during the memorial match, at the final home game of the can follow the journey of the singers, in the BBC Bantam of the Opera podcast on BBC Sound are on sale for the Yorkshire Calling event. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
