Yoko Ono Lennon Centre reaches final £150k fundraising milestone

Published on 24 June 2021

The University is delighted to announce two significant milestones that have been reached in the Yoko Ono Lennon Centre fundraising campaign. With just £150,000 left to raise for the overall campaign, and 100 seats to be named within The Tung Auditorium as part of the Name a Seat campaign, we are closer than ever to brining this new visionary space to campus and the city.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of alumni and friends of the University, more than £2,850,000 has been raised towards the new Yoko Ono Lennon Centre, which is set to open in spring 2022. The Centre will be home to the state-of-the-art 400-seat concert hall, The Tung Auditorium, and the impressive 600-seat Paul Brett Lecture Theatre, the largest purpose-built lecture theatre on campus.

The outstanding facilities will provide a world-class teaching environment and enable students to gain real-world experience in all aspects of the arts business. In a city synonymous with music, the Centre will be a welcome addition to both the University campus and city of Liverpool, bringing people of all ages and backgrounds together to celebrate the joys that music and the arts bring.

At the heart of the Centre is The Tung Auditorium, a high-quality, medium-sized venue, with capacity for up to a 70-piece orchestra, which will add to the city’s rich musical infrastructure. The Name a Seat campaign was launched to offer alumni and friends the unique opportunity to leave a lasting legacy within this brand-new auditorium.

Alumni and friends from across the world have come together to play a leading role in this campaign, with less than 100 seats now left to be named in The Tung Auditorium. Over the course of the campaign, supporters have kindly shared the stories behind their seats, in a truly heart-warming display of compassion.

Ivy Sala, Regular Giving Manager at the University of Liverpool, who has been the point of contact for the Name a Seat campaign, said: “It has been a real joy to hear the powerful stories behind the seats throughout our campaign. Not only are our supporters helping future generations of students to have the best possible education, but every story from each individual or family has brought this campaign to life, and their stories will continue to be the life and soul of this wonderful new concert hall. With just 100 seats left, I am excited to see the special stories which come in over the coming months.”

You can read all of the Name a Seat stories on our dedicated webpage. If you would like to share your story please email: giving@liverpool.ac.uk.

We are incredibly thankful to the support we have received so far. To join alumni and friends in being part of this legacy, please visit our donation page where you can choose to support the Name a Seat campaign, or to support in another way via our website or JustGiving.