Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is delighted to announce a donation from Infratil, H.R.L Morrison & Co (“Morrison & Co”), and the Lloyd Morrison Trust in support of the national music centre in memory of Lloyd Morrison, Infratil founder and passionate Wellingtonian.
The donation will see the former Ilott Theatre in the Wellington Town Hall named the Lloyd Morrison Theatre. The Theatre will be a premier venue for music, including a foyer, practice rooms, a recording suite, in-house sounds and lighting, and a performance space with up to 200 seats on the corner of Wakefield Street and Michael Fowler Lane.
Chair of the national music centre fundraising campaign, Dame Kerry Prendergast, thanked the donors for their generous support.
“I am delighted that this prominent space in the Wellington Town Hall will take the name of one of Wellington and New Zealand’s truly inspirational people.
“Lloyd was a great friend to me personally, to Wellington, and to the arts in general. The generous support from Morrison & Co, Infratil, and the Lloyd Morrison Trust will provide a fitting legacy for Lloyd. I thank them most sincerely for their contribution to the project. It takes the total raised to $21 million of our $30 million target.”
This national music centre is a collaboration between Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) and the Wellington City Council. The centre will be based around a resilient and redeveloped Wellington Town Hall.
The NZSO and the University’s New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī (NZSM) will be based in the centre which will offer a vibrant community facility that will support greater access to music and the arts, with lunchtime concerts, public lectures, workshops, seminars and art displays. The centre will be a national space for musical innovation and collaboration and will be the only facility in New Zealand with world-class acoustics and state-of-the-art orchestral sound recording facilities. This is expected to strengthen New Zealand’s post-production film industry, as well as providing increased live digital broadcast opportunities for the whole country.
Professor Sally Jane Norman, Director of NZSM, said the gift is fitting and one of great significance.
“The national music centre is an exciting initiative that will provide a vibrant community facility, along with a home for the NZSO and New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī, New Zealand’s top-ranked music school.
“I’m looking forward to introducing NZSM students to the Lloyd Morrison Theatre.”
The Lloyd Morrison Theatre will open when the Wellington Town Hall opens in 2025.
