Feature Royal Opera

The Grand Theatre and Howard Assembly Rooms get a royal nod of approval from Prince Charles

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Feature: Royal Opera

Culturally-minded readers of Leeds Guide aren’t the only ones keen for previews of Leeds’ best arts venues.

Bona fide members of the Royal Family have also drifted up north in the past few weeks to take a look at the best creative spaces Leeds has on offer.

In mid-February, their Royal Highnesses, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, visited Yorkshire, and our fair city, to cast their regal eyes over the mulit-million pound ‘Transformation’ refurbishment project of Leeds Grand Theatre, which includes the creation of a permanent home for the award-winning and innovative Opera North, the Howard Assembly Room.

Councillor John Procter had words of praise: “It is a wonderful honour to welcome The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall to our city and to show them the magnificent Leeds Grand Theatre. Everyone involved in the ‘Transformation’ project should be very proud of their efforts, as the result is a fantastic venue which combines modern thinking with the classic features which make the Grand Theatre one of the best-loved buildings in Leeds.”

But will the royals be impressed? The king-in-waiting has a well-known appreciation of Opera, (we can only assume he knows his arias from his verismos). But the £31.2m spent renovating and restoring the Howard Assembly Room over the past two years can seem little more than loose change to the man who goes to bed in Buckingham Palace.

Nonetheless, this investment in architecture, heritage and high-class culture reminds us it’s time to make like the aristocracy and fish out the elbow-length gloves and don a string of pearls.
For art, classical, film, folk and opera events at the Grand Theatre and Howard Assembly Rooms, see our listings or visit www.leedsguide.co.uk
SH

Posted on Wednesday 4th March 2009

You are in: Art » Feature »Royal Opera