Freemasons' Hall, Edinburgh

Coordinates: 55°57′09″N 3°12′09″W / 55.95244°N 3.20256°W / 55.95244; -3.20256
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Freemasons' Hall at 96 George Street, Edinburgh

Freemasons' Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland, is the headquarters of Scottish Freemasonry, the Grand Lodge of Scotland. It is located at 96 George Street.[1]

A

St Andrew, by the sculptor Henry Snell Gamley.[2] The building replaced a previous hall erected in 1858, designed by David Bryce.[2]

Concerts

Stairwell and dome at Freemasons' Hall

Concerts

The hall was used for a series of 10 chamber concerts by

Leon Goossens.[4]

It became a regular festival venue in the first decades of the festival, and artists appearing in the hall included the celebrated instrumentalists

.

Staircase of the Freemasons' Hall, Edinburgh

Singers included

Aksel Schiotz, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Irmgard Seefried, Gérard Souzay, Eleanor Steber, Shirley Verrett, and many others, together with the composer-accompanists Benjamin Britten and Francis Poulenc
.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, chamber music and recitals were increasingly shared with Leith Town Hall and St Cuthbert's Church, and by the end of the third decade of the festival major artists came less frequently to the Freemasons' Hall and it became more of a 'niche' venue for string quartets and small scale vocal ensembles.

References

Freemasons' Hall on George Street
  1. ^ "Home - The Grand Lodge of Scotland". The Grand Lodge of Scotland.
  2. ^ a b c d "96 George Street, Freemasons' Hall: LB30024". Historic Environment Scotland.
  3. ^ "Alexander Hunter Crawford". Dictionary of Scottish Architects 1660-1980.
  4. ^ The International Festival of Music & Drama Edinburgh 1947 Souvenir Programme. 1947.

55°57′09″N 3°12′09″W / 55.95244°N 3.20256°W / 55.95244; -3.20256