Bristol Beacon: Concert venue prepared for grand opening

Bristol Beacon is set to break its five year hiatus from the city's music scene on 30 November this year.

The concert hall closed for refurbishment in 2018 and in that time it has undergone a £130m transformation, had more than one million hours of work put into it and been given a new name.

The refurbishment has cost nearly triple its original expected budget, but the council insists that the work is an "investment" that will "stimulate economic growth that benefits the city".

The opening night on 30 November is the Trip the Light Fantastic concert, which will feature the Bristol-based artists Paraorchestra and electronic composer Surgeons Girl, working with audio-visual experts Limbic Cinema to create a fully multi-sensory performance.

Paraorchestra is an ensemble of disabled and non-disabled professional musicians. Around half of the ensemble identify as disabled, deaf, or neurodivergent.

Sinead McMillan, AKA Surgeons Girl, wrote the music to Trip The Light Fantastic, working with corresponding composer Oliver Vibrans along the way.

The phrase to "trip the light fantastic" means to dance nimbly or lightly to music. The phrase is attributed to John Milton, poet and author of Paradise Lost who, in later life, became blind himself.

Ms McMillan told the BBC: "Trip the Light has been a year in the making.

"The concert is all about the reopening of the Beacon, and the title recognises that positive movement into the light and a new beginning."

Ms McMillan added: "I've been working with Paraorchestra and Oliver Vibrans all throughout writing the piece.

"It's been an interesting process to blend my style of electronic music with Paraorchestra, without being contrived or predictable.

"I'm definitely excited for the 30 November. It feels like I'm in the eye of the storm at the moment, but the Beacon has been really missed in Bristol."

Founder and artistic director of Paraorchestra, Charles Hazlewood told the BBC: "We are deeply proud to be playing on the opening night at Bristol Beacon.

"For me and so many people in Bristol, there has been a vacuum at the heart of the cultural scene for all the years that it's been shut.

"I can't wait for it to reopen. I'm fortunate enough to have had a sneak peek inside and I can tell you this is a world-class space."

"I started Paraorchestra in 2012," Mr Hazlewood went on: "I'm the father of a disabled child myself.

"There is chronic under-representation of those who identify as disabled.

"It's unjust and unfair and the world is missing out on millions of talented people."

The Bristol Beacon originally opened as Colston Hall in 1867, and over the years has seen the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Bob Marley and Lou Reed perform there.

Some of the announced acts due to perform after the reopening include James Blunt, Bombay Bicycle Club, Gipsy Kings and The Pretenders.

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