The Melbourne Recital Centre has officially opened a new performance venue in Southbank, converting a previously unused space at the top of the building into a cabaret-style setting for live music and performance.
The Peter and Ruth McMullin Beacon will present cabaret, contemporary music, jazz, musical theatre and First Nations performances, with the venue designed to bring audiences closer to performers.
The project received $1 million from the Victorian Government, matched by a $1 million philanthropic contribution from Peter and Ruth McMullin.
The Beacon was designed by the architects responsible for the original Melbourne Recital Centre building. Its location within the Southbank complex provides a new performance setting within Melbourne’s Arts Precinct.
The venue also features a new artwork by First Nations artist and musician Dr Lou Bennett AM, which brings her music Look Above into the space.
The Beacon will open to the public on Thursday, 17 September, with an inaugural programme spanning its planned range of performances. Tickets went on sale at 11am.
Minister for Creative Industries Vicki Ward said the venue would provide new opportunities for artists and audiences.
“This transformational project opens up new opportunities for artists and audiences to have an experience you can’t get anywhere else. A shared experience that tells you are in Melbourne, in our iconic Arts Precinct, and Australia’s cultural capital,” Ward said.
She also acknowledged the contribution from Peter and Ruth McMullin towards the project.
“I thank Peter and Ruth McMullin for their generosity which has helped create this stunning venue,” she said.
Melbourne Recital Centre CEO Sandra Willis said the new space would offer audiences a different way to experience live performance.
“The Beacon brings people even closer to exceptional music and extraordinary artists, in an entirely new setting,” Willis said.
Peter McMullin AM said live music had been an important part of his and Ruth McMullin’s lives and that their contribution was intended to support further opportunities for artists.
“Live music has been a source of connection and inspiration throughout Ruth and I’s lives,” McMullin said.
“We wanted to help Melbourne Recital Centre create more opportunities for artists and reach audiences in new ways and continue the vital role it plays within Melbourne’s musical ecology.”
The opening adds another performance space to Melbourne’s Southbank arts precinct, with the Beacon set to focus on genres and performance formats beyond the Centre’s traditional concert programming.
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