Leading international names celebrate launch of major new cultural resource for Cornwall

Award-winning Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse Theatre, Michael Grandage; leading actor of stage and screen, Sir Derek Jacobi; acclaimed lyricist and author, Sir Tim Rice; and contemporary folk musician, Seth Lakeman were among the many celebrated artists who came together both virtually and in person to applaud the launch of University College Falmouth's (UCF) new £19M Performance Centre at the Tremough Campus in Penryn on Friday 22 October.

Speaking from Houston Grand Opera in Texas where he is currently making his American operatic debut directing Puccini's Madame Butterfly, Michael Grandage reflected on the extraordinary capacity of this major cultural asset for Cornwall to unlock the creative potential of its young people; Sir Derek Jacobi revealed how much he was looking forward to engaging with students at the Performance Centre when he comes to Truro next Spring to perform the title role in King Lear; Sir Tim Rice expressed his delight that the Centre was now open and looked forward to ‘actually doing a bit of work' there during the six months of the year that he spends in Cornwall, and Seth Lakeman delivered live, pared down versions of Solomon Browne and Kitty Jay that transfixed the assembled audience with their musical dexterity and raw power.

Other live performances included an interpretation of Stravinsky's La Semaine Gras by one of Europe's finest concert pianists, Ian Pace; a wry take on identity and belonging by UCF's Senior Lecturer in Theatre and Award Leader in Music Theatre, Misri Dey, entitled Taj A Chino Blues (An Extract); an intense and electric contemporary dance piece entitled 4am by choreographer and UCF Lecturer in Dance, Debbie Fionn Barr, performed by Polly Motley and Ben Joiner; a reading by acclaimed author, Deborah Levy, from her collection of short stories, Pillow Talk in Europe & Other Places; and an accomplished interpretation of Keith Jarrett's My Song by young musician, David Ferris, from Helston Community College.

The beginning and end of this inaugural performance was heralded by Taiko drummers from Dartington who held the audience in their thrall with their powerful, choreographed rhythms.

"All of the performers you see here tonight are connected by an invisible thread," explained UCF's Rector & Chief Executive, Professor Anne Carlisle.  "They are students, staff and alumni; visiting professors and Honorary Fellows of University College Falmouth.  Two years, seven months and sixteen days ago, this Performance Centre was an ambitious vision.  I am very proud to be standing here tonight to welcome you to the manifestation of that vision and to share with you the next important steps in our creative journey as we progress, ever more determined, towards the attainment of Arts University Cornwall."

The assembled guests were drawn from across the spectrum of Cornwall's community, from leading arts organisations to local authorities.

The Performance Centre has been made possible as a result of investments totalling £19M - £12,266,667 from the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) Convergence Programme, £3M from the South West Regional Development Agency's Single Pot Fund and the remainder from the Higher Education Funding Council for England's Strategic Development Fund.

This exceptional new facility includes a high-end recording studio complex that is resourced to support radical electro-acoustic and electronic music; dance rehearsal and performance studios with harlequin sprung floors; high-spec theatre and music spaces with sophisticated acoustic architecture; innovative sound and lighting technology; and numerous practice and rehearsal studios.

"UCF is committed to the development of a creative and connected Cornwall, and is exploring numerous ways of supporting and growing business and stimulating employment opportunities in the region," added Professor Carlisle.  "As well as providing outstanding resources for teaching and learning, these stunning facilities are also available for hire at multiple rates, for a wide range of uses from community initiatives to corporate events."

A public launch programme of contemporary performance, under the banner title of Platform - from Thursday 28 to Sunday 31 October 2010 - will include new work by winner of the 2009 British Composer Award, Graham Fitkin; a performance of Superstition Mountain by innovative film and theatre collective, o-region; a series of metamorphoses by acclaimed US choreographer and dancer, Eleanor Bauer; and the performance of an evocative dance piece created by Cornwall-based choreographer, Angela Praed, as well as an eclectic array of talks and performances by students and community groups.

Many events are free but all are ticketed.  To view the full programme and to book tickets, please visit www.hallforcornwall.co.uk or www.falmouth.ac.uk/platform 

Platform is supported by RELAYS, the Regional Educational Legacy in Arts and Youth Sport - an innovative programme of festivals and events designed to inspire young people and their communities to participate in, create and promote cultural and sporting activities in South West England.

UCF is the only independent Higher Education institution in Cornwall with the right to award degrees in its own name. The University College has two campuses - at Woodlane in Falmouth and Tremough in Penryn (which it owns and jointly manages with the University of Exeter).

UCF's merger with Dartington College of Arts in 2008 created a new institution focusing on the expansion of Falmouth's expertise in Art, Design and Media and Dartington's expertise in Dance, Music, Theatre, Art and Writing.  The Dartington-based courses have now relocated to the newly-launched, high-specification £19M Performance Centre at the Tremough Campus.

The Performance Centre is the latest phase in UCF's ambition to create a new specialist Arts University in Cornwall by 2013/2014 that will be unrivalled in the South West.

UCF is a founding partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through Higher Education, funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One and Convergence), the South West Regional Development Agency and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall Council.

Ends

For further information about University College Falmouth, please contact Jilly Easterby Dip CIPR MCIPR, Head of Public Affairs, Telephone: 01326 213792, or email:  jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk

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