Wigmore Hall launches £10m fund in bid to be self-sustaining

The London classical music venue announces plan against a background of arts funding cuts and in ‘an uncertain public environment for classical music’

London classical music venue Wigmore Hall has announced a £10m fund with the aim to be self-sustaining without need for public funds. It is believed to be the first major concert hall to take such a step in what a statement described as “an uncertain public environment for classical music in the UK”.

The venue has an annual grant of £344,206 from Arts Council England (ACE) but John Gilhooly, Wigmore Hall’s artistic and executive director, says that it is “already 97% self-funded”. He added that £7m had already been pledged for the new fund, called the Director’s Fund, and that the venue hoped to raise £10m by 2027, and £20m within a decade.