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Venues

Over the past 30 years, there has been a major investment in Glasgow venues – both by the council and by individuals and companies. It currently enjoys an enviably diverse and substantial portfolio of performing arts spaces suitable for many kinds of musical performance.

ABC - occupies the distinctive Art Deco building that once housed Scotland’s first cinema. With a capacity of 1600 it is one of Glasgow top four rock and pop venues and its programme of touring artists and club nights complements the programmes of Carling Academy and Barrowlands. www.abcglasgow.com

The Arches is located in the spaces beneath the railway arches of Glasgow’s Central Station. It was refurbished in 2001 and offers cultural adventurers a programme of mid- to small-scale theatre, music and club events. www.thearches.co.uk

Barrowlands was originally built as a Ballroom – and still hosts the occasional tea dance – but has made its name as a major concert venue. Although small by comparison with many rock venues, it is a particular favourite of many noted rock / pop acts including R.E.M., Björk, INXS, Justin Timberlake, and U2. It has also traditionally offered a platform for the finest local talent including Primal Scream, Travis, Franz Ferdinand and Big Country. www.glasgow-barrowland.com

O2 Academy This former cinema opened as a music venue in 2003 after a £3 million refurbishment. Bands appearing there include the Sugababes, Inspiral Carpets, Massive Attack, White Stripes, Public Enemy, Melanie C as well as many club and dance events with top Scottish promoters Slam and Inside Out. www.o2academyglasgow.co.uk

In January 2006, The City Halls and The Old Fruitmarket reopened after a £13million refurbishment. This visionary building combines performing arts with archives, information about music, education, outreach, social inclusion and regeneration. It is one the most high-tech venues in the UK offering possibilities of outreach to the most distant communities in Scotland via video links. It is home to the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Council’s Music Education Services, the Scottish Music Centre and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. www.glasgowconcerthalls.com

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall dominates the centre of the city. It was opened in 1990 as part of the Year of Culture and functions as the main venue for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Additionally, it promoted the International Series which has featured such orchestras as the Kirov, Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Philharmonia. Soloists featured in recent years have included Alfred Brendel, Ian Bostridge, Jessye Norman and Cecilia Bartoli. The world famous festival Celtic Connections is produced by Glasgow Concert Halls attracting 100,000 visitors to Glasgow during its three weeks. The year round programme of music also features major figures from the world of jazz, rock and pop. www.glasgowconcerthalls.com

The College of Piping Established in 1944, the College is the international centre of world piping with more than 65 years experience in teaching Scotland's national instrument, the great Highland bagpipe. A registered charity, the College keeps its lessons as affordable as possible by subsidising them with profits from the College Shop. Many thousands of students at home and abroad have benefited. In the 1950s the College pioneered outreach teaching establishing schools in the Highlands of Scotland and in North America. This work continues today and 2007 saw the establishment of the first outreach piping school on mainland Europe at Bruggen in northern Germany. The College makes no draw on the public purse and survives by the diligence and dedication of its staff and teachers, and the goodwill of the piping fraternity worldwide. It strives to bring Scotland's national music to all irrespective of means or background - truly a centre of excellence for people the world over. The College of Piping, 16-24 Otago Street, Glasgow, G12 8JH.
www.college-of-piping.co.uk

Hampden Park since reopening in 1999 after refurbishment, Scotland’s home of football has been the venue for vast stadium concerts featuring artists of the stature of Rod Stewart, George Michael, Robbie Williams, Rolling Stones, Oasis, U2, and Eminem. www.hampdenpark.co.uk
Hutcheson's Hall, one of Glasgow’s smallest venues, has a special place in the city’s music history, as it was here that Chopin played when he visited Scotland in 1848. Phone: 0141 552 8391

King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut is renowned UK-wide as an exciting showcase for new and emerging bands and as the venue that supported some of the UK music industry's biggest names at the start of their careers. Founded during the Year of Culture in 1990, it is owned and managed by Scotland's foremost music promoters DF Concerts and has played host to bands including Radiohead, Blur, Travis, Pulp and The Verve before they reached the heights of music superstardom. It created a piece of rock and roll history as the venue where Oasis were first spotted and signed in 1993. www.kingtuts.co.uk

The National Piping Centre presents a wide array of traditional and acoustic music, as well as holding national collections relating to piping, and offering courses and tuition. www.thepipingcentre.co.uk

Òran Mór is one of Glasgow’s newest venues, Òran Mór (meaning the 'great melody of life') is a cultural centre and meeting place in the heart of Glasgow's West End. It regularly presents concerts and sessions of acoustic music alongside its theatre and events programmes. www.oran-mor.co.uk
The Pavilion Theatre is a Glasgow landmark and historically one of the most important venues for variety performances. Sarah Bernhardt appeared there, as did the young unknown Charlie Chaplin. More recently such popular Scottish artists as Lulu, Billy Connolly, Sheena Easton and Barbara Dickson appeared there. www.paviliontheatre.co.uk
The RSAMD has numerous spaces to suit different productions: the New Athenaeum Theatre seats 344 and is the principal auditorium for plays and opera. The Academy Concert Hall is much in demand by professional groups and seats 355. The Alexander Gibson Opera School houses a further performance space used by music and drama students, while the Chandler Studio Theatre is used for more intimate or experimental theatre work. Finally, the Guinness Room is a recital hall for up to 108. www.rsamd.ac.uk
The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) is best known for hosting its concerts with acts such as The Rolling Stones, U2, Oasis, Britney Spears, Primal Scream, and many others in the 8,200 seat Hall 4 and 3,000 seat Hall 3.In 1997 the main building was complemented by the Clyde Auditorium – Sir Norman Foster’s "armadillo". www.secc.co.uk
The Theatre Royal is home to Scottish Opera. The site upon which it stands has been associated with opera since 1867 and every major Scottish Opera production appears there. www.ambassadortickets.com
Tramway re-opened in 2008 as both a multi-functional arts venue and the permanent home of Scottish Ballet. It presents cutting-edge contemporary work and is the main location for two national festivals showcasing international experimental music and theatre: New Territories and TRIPTYCH. www.tramway.org