Laidlaw Music Centre

The Club, at its second ‘live’ meeting since lockdown, enjoyed an extremely interesting and insightful talk from Michael Downes, the Director of Music at the University of St Andrews. The subject of Michael’s talk was the recently built University Music Centre - the Laidlaw Music Centre - which occupies a discrete site close to St Mary’s College, right in the heart of old St Andrews. Choosing the site was fundamental to the success of the project, it being important that it was easily accessible to townspeople as well as to the  University, thus ensuring the health and strength of music in St Andrews.

The choice of architects was equally important. Michael realised that what was key was the appointment of a firm of architects, not just famous for its buildings but for its music buildings. This led to the appointment of Flanagan Lawrence, who were responsible for the outstanding Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

And the third important consideration was that of acoustics - a music building had to be designed from the inside first, followed by the outside. A world leading acoustician, Nicholas Edwards, was duly commissioned.

The completed building, simple in form but stunning for the performance and enjoyment of music, nestles sensitively into its chosen site, complementing its neighbouring buildings and enjoying the shelter of the existing trees. So good is the building that it has been shortlisted for a World Architecture Award.

Michael then explained that the building would not have come about without the foresight and generosity of the late Jean McPherson of Kennedy Gardens- a St Andrews girl, educated at St Leonards School and St Andrews University and hugely supportive of music in St Andrews for many years. Her Will provided for a multimillion pound fund to be applied to music at the University and with this and other very generous donations, including from the Laidlaw Trust, the University was able to see the completion of this extraordinary new facility.

The jewel in the crown, as Michael described it, is the appropriately named McPherson Recital Room where concerts will be held and where audiences will enjoy music of a sound quality unsurpassed in the UK. It is also a room with a rarely found flexibility, which, thanks to a floor composed of over 80 independently adjustable units, can be transformed from hosting a small chamber group to a small orchestra to a performance in the round.

Frank Quinault thanked Dr Downes for his part in bringing such a wonderful resource to St Andrews and making music here more vibrant than ever.