The first meeting was held by the working team made up of seven representatives of the municipal and regional authorities and Ministry of Culture. Their main objective is to outline a funding strategy memorandum for Concert Hall for Brno project and prepare the background papers for the Czech Government meeting. The Municipality is represented by Petr Vokřál, the Mayor of the City of Brno or Matěj Hollan, the Deputy Mayor, and Stanislav Michalík as the project manager. The team’s existence was recommended by the Ministry of Culture and it will comprise of three of its representatives, two representatives of each the City of Brno and the Government of the South Moravian Region.
“Today the first meeting was held by all the parties concerned. We will prepare materials for the Government’s meeting, so that it can ratify the funding of a new Brno concert hall. Signing a memorandum that establishes who and how contributes to the building is the first step,” said the Mayor Petr Vokřál. The document is scheduled to be signed in September and if everything goes according to plan, the Government will discuss it at their meeting, which will be held in Brno in October.
As advised earlier by the Mayor, Brno authorities are ready to earmark nearly 500 million CZK from their budget, the South Moravia Region government has recently promised to contribute by 100 million CZK. The rest, nearly 600 million will be covered by the state. The total cost was estimated at 1. 276 billion CZK.
Another important step in the project Concert Hall for Brno is planned to be taken on 29thAugust.
A committee of experts will meet up and appoint applicants eligible to take part in the competition by tender for the design documentation supplier. The deadline for applying expired yesterday, four applicants sent in the tender. No specific details concerning the applicants may be published at this stage, by law. The winning team will propose the layout of the building interior, including cloakrooms, administration offices, rehearsal rooms or common rooms and, most importantly, the concert hall itself – its shape, size, seating layout, acoustic insulation, facing materials and so on. “Apart from a building designer and an architect, there will be an acoustical consultant in the team, the key person for the design of the hall,” said Matěj Hollan, the Deputy Mayor.
According to him, the Municipality have been very strict about the competition criteria, because, among other reasons, it has been 100 years since a concert hall with the capacity of more than one thousand people was built in the Czech Republic.
“We need to be one hundred percent certain that the hall will be designed by proven professionals whose work speaks for them. Their experience with similar projects is the key competence. And we also want to be able to visit the halls designed by them to see how well they work,” said Hollan.
However, the previous experience with a concert hall construction is not the only criterion required when applying for the qualifying round. The participants must prove their experience with construction of bigger buildings and buildings in urban monuments conservation areas. The qualification conditions also do not allow a fictitious person to be the key person of the team.
“We have set it up in a way that this person must keep in touch with the investor regularly and be well informed about the project development,” said Hollan.
The application assessment committee will be endorsed by the Brno City Council. Apart from the representatives of the City of Brno it will presumably comprise of architects, university rectors, musicians or music managers.
“I am very much excited that the things were set in motion. Our long-time dream is turning into reality and I believe that the audience will have a concert hall of international standing,” said the Director of Brno Philharmonic, Marie Kučerová.
About Hall for Brno
The working title Hall for Brno (Janáček Cultural Centre) denotes the project of new Brno concert hall construction. It will provide a home to the Brno Philharmonic, recognized as one of the
Europe’s outstanding orchestra. Its more than one hundred members have had to rehearse and perform in unsatisfactory conditions. The Philharmonic is currently based in Besední dům, the stage of which is too small. And the Janáček Theatre, the venue of many Philharmonic’s concerts, does not provide suitable acoustics. As a result, audience cannot hear the orchestra in its full cast.
“Hopefully, the audience will be able to recognize the quality of the orchestra thanks to the new concert hall and Brno will attract top artists from abroad, we have currently no place to invite to,” said Marie Kučerová, the Director of Brno Philharmonic.
The new concert hall offering 1250 seats and top-quality acoustic parameters will be located on the corner of Besedni and Vesela streets. The total cost is estimated at 1.276 billion CZK. The municipal authorities endeavour to have the construction begun in late 2017, therewith following up on the first phase of the project, the rise of underground garages.
Media contact
Kateřina Konečná – JCC PR manager, 777 682 678, info@salprobrno.cz, www.salprobrno.cz