In hard hat, protective glasses, hi-vis jacket and boots, Neil Chandler looks more like a quantity surveyor than an artistic director, but this is his daily wear until September, when the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, will finally reopen after three years of refurbishment and expansion – work that aims to place it back at the heart of the community, acting as an artistic catalyst for the two million people who live around it.
Chandler talks excitedly about the opportunity that the rebuild gives to create a new function for the Halls as a centre for creative learning. “It’s about encouraging an audience for the future for our music and theatre here, and about making local people feel involved,” he said.
On a tour of the building, we picked our way through busy electricians, plasterers and plumbers and stepped into the huge, light and airy space of the main foyer, which he sees as central to his vision of a cultural hub. He says it will be open from 10am to midnight every day, with free live entertainment, art exhibitions and a bar. He wants local people to feel the building is theirs to use. “We want them to see it as a place to meet friends, to listen to music, to look at art, to relax.” He promises it will be an attractive venue, returned to its original 1962 décor, with even its unique chandeliers recreated.
Key to the revitalised Halls will be two new piano academies for local children, with hopes to expand to other instrumental training. And school groups will be encouraged to attend workshops and performances and get the bug for live arts.
Back in Chandler’s cramped temporary office, housed in a busy village of portable buildings just behind the Halls, he expands on the ideas behind the two piano academies. “There were no pianos on site when we arrived here, so Fred Scott, my music associate and I set out to find a company that could help us.” They did not have to look far: Sevenoaks is the home of Phoenix Pianos, a manufacturer keen to show off its range of instruments. In September, the Fairfield Halls will be supplied with a concert grand for the main auditorium – renamed the Phoenix Concert Hall – two other grand pianos, a baby grand and six uprights. They will be used throughout the week by pupils joining the Phoenix Piano Academy, open to pianists of Grade 6 standard and above.
Additionally, the Halls will become a franchise of the Yamaha Music School, with four- to five-year-olds being taught on Yamaha keyboards from November, with a second cohort of six- to seven-year-olds joining next year. “This is just the start of the journey. Croydon has a young population and we want to work with Croydon Schools Music Association and others to provide a home for teaching, not just the piano but other instruments, too.”
That young population will also have an effect on programming decisions. Chandler explained that of the two million people who live in the catchment area, 48% are under the age of 25 and 54% are BAME (Black or Asian minority ethnic). “That means that there has to be something for everybody here. We have to offer an eclectic programme to entice people through the door.”
“We’ve done our research, and currently 3% of the local population say they attend classical music concerts. Nationally, the figure is nearer 8%, so we have some work to do on that front, but we hope that by showing people that this is a building for them we can entice them to try new experiences.”