Llewellyn Hall: Canberra, AUSTRALIA

Llewellyn Hall is the main concert hall of Canberra, and it is situated on the edge of the main ANU (Australian National University) campus. It also shares the rather austere concrete building with the School of Music.

It is a building that has quite a long history for me... I studied here, and so I really know the ins and outs of this building... for quite a few years, I was practically living in this building... from early in the morning, through to the small hours of the morning. These days, you can't stay that long...

Heading into the building, there is quite a lot that is different to what I remember. Such as the bar that now exists to the left.... that used to be a office for the School of Music administration! The bar is open on the days of concerts for drinks and snacks before the concert, at interval, and also afterwards. Meanwhile, to the right... well, that used to be our music library. These days it is a large meeting space... and our library has moved up the hill to the School of Art. Pretty annoying...

The stage of Llewellyn Hall is quite nice to play on... but it does have this strange muffling sound when I go out to listen from the audience. Again, it is a place that I did so many of my recitals as a student, and concerto performances... and so many orchestral and chamber music performances as well... so, although it isn't exactly always the perfect stage, it is one that fills me with so many fond memories!

Apparently in the years past, after I left, the place was quite damaged due to hail... the roof had started leaking, and the was some quite serious damage to the hall and to some of the instruments and other rooms.

The audience does have some very nice seats... and the hall seats quite a large audience. I remember that my favourite spots would be up in the upper levels! I vaguely remember that the seats were a different colour... and that there was less in the way of the wooden roof and wall paneling. Perhaps when there was damage that needed to be repaired, it was repaired with some acoustic additions in mind?

However, you still see that austere concrete structure poking though regardless! Anyway, after a few concerts here in the recent past... I've come to enjoy playing here again!