About Us
West Road Concert Hall was built in 1978 by Sir Leslie Martin and is widely regarded as one of Cambridge’s premiere music venues. Situated only a few minutes’ walk away from the famous Cambridge Backs and King’s College, it is renowned for its superb acoustic qualities.
Also a thriving conference venue, it has the advantage of being housed within the University’s Faculty of Music, providing a variety of flexible meeting rooms and a spacious, light and versatile foyer area. Whatever your requirements, you can be assured of our professional and efficient approach to your event and a warm welcome by our staff.
Cambridge Music
Music has a long history at Cambridge. Indeed, in 1464 the world’s first firmly-authenticated Bachelor of Music degree was awarded at Cambridge to one Henry Abyngdon, Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal to Edward IV. Over the intervening centuries celebrated musicians such as William Boyce, William Sterndale Bennett, Charles Villiers Stanford, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Arthur Bliss, Alexander Goehr, Robin Holloway and Thomas Adès have studied or taught at Cambridge.
Recognising the importance of music as an academic study, the University established the Faculty of Music in 1947 to teach the newly created Music Tripos. The Faculty now occupies the purpose-built University Music School and West Road Concert Hall, designed by Sir Leslie Martin and built in the mid-1970s.
Over recent decades many of the most significant figures in British music have emerged from Cambridge: the composers mentioned above, performers such as Joanna MacGregor, Robert Tear, Thomas Trotter, Roger Vignoles and David Waterman, and conductors such as Andrew Davis, Mark Elder, John Eliot Gardiner, Christopher Hogwood and Robin Ticciati.