Our vision

A national centre of music with public engagement at its heart will be developed in Wellington—creating a national treasure in New Zealand's capital city.

When it re-opens, the Town Hall will become a jewel in the crown of the National Music Centre, with the people and the projects bringing the vision to life.

Combining the new talent of young musicians in the New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī with the professional mastery of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra will enable an outstanding education and professional development opportunities for the next generation of Wellington students.

Jazz and classical performance students, voice artists and instrumentalists, composers, sonic artists, musicologists, technology developers, and music therapists will all enjoy opportunities for engagement within the same facilities. In this way, the national music centre will provide a seeding ground for ideas and inspiration, while giving a major boost to New Zealand’s music scene.

Importantly, the centre will create new possibilities for community engagement, with exciting events, festivals, outreach activities, and space hireage.

It will consolidate Wellington’s reputation as a centre of creativity and culture in the Asia–Pacific region.