Arts centre a '£185m boost to local music scene'

The centre will bring together seven faculties at the University of Oxford

Musicians have described a £185-million arts and humanities centre as a "step in the right direction" after the closure of a number of late-night venues in a city centre.

The Schwarzman Centre is due to open in the autumn and will provide a new site for the performing arts in the University of Oxford's Radcliffe Observatory Quarter.

It includes a 500-seat concert hall and a 250-seat lecture hall that will double as a drama theatre.

Oli Steadman, founding member of indie-folk band Stornoway, said the decision to open the doors to the public every day between 09:00 and 21:00 would be welcomed by local promoters who were being pushed out of the city centre.

Steadman praised the collaboration between "Town and Gown" after the closure of venues such as the Wheatsheaf and the Cellar.

The Centre has been funded by a £185 million donation from Stephen A Schwarzman, co-founder of investment firm Blackstone, and will include a black box experimental performance space, a multimedia TV and sound studio, an exhibition hall, rehearsal rooms and studio spaces.

Ronan Munro, editor of music magazine Nightshift, questioned the claims that all local artists will benefit raising concerns that it will be mostly used for classical music performances.

A 250-seat lecture theatre would be the home for large lectures during term-time, but would also be able to host professional plays as well as student productions.

The building will house a range of the universities faculties including English, History, Music and Philosophy, as well as the new institute for Ethics in AI.

Oxford City Council's planning and culture department, hopes the centre will reverse the trend of local venues closing and Councillor Alex Hollingsworth said it was an opportunity to "support local, national and international artists performing in our city".