John Rutter CBE to open the Music Building at Hymers College

The Jefferson Sheard-designed Music Building at Hymers College in Hull is to be officially opened this Friday by renowned choral composer John Rutter CBE.

The distinguished conductor and composer, who has been awarded a CBE for services to music, will be attending the opening at Hymers College this Friday 26thas a special guest.

The purpose built £1.6m Music Building includes practice rooms, secure lockers in circulation areas and a recital hall to accommodate a full orchestra. A vaulted roof complements the surrounding Grade II Listed buildings, and open processional staircase with natural lighting penetrating into the heart of the building creates a dramatic ambience; this is an inspiring space designed to ignite creativity from the students.

Hymers College is the highest ranking independent school in Yorkshire for GCSE results and it has been an immense pleasure and privilege for Jefferson Sheard to design the Music Building, which is one of two schemes that the firm has designed as part of a masterplan to future-proof and enhance the school’s facilities.

Jefferson Sheard is also working on another project at the school - a £2.85m state-of-the-art Learning Resource Centre which will be built in line with the School’s strategic vision of creating a school ‘fit for purpose’ in 2030.

Jefferson Sheard’s Managing Director, Tom Rhys Jones, said, “we are proud to be working for one of the highest achieving schools in the North of England to provide inspirational new facilities for the teachers and pupils who work there. It is a great honour that such a distinguished figure as John Rutter is to open one of our buildings. ”

John Rutter’s appointment as special guest is pertinent – the virtuoso composer speaks fondly of his own school days, in a recent interview with The Telegraph he says,

“Class singing at school when I was four was how it began. I didn’t just like it; I loved it. I looked forward to it so much and wondered why all school wasn’t like that.”

We hope that the new building too will provide inspiration to forthcoming generations of musicians and composers.