LSO St Luke's Re-Opens Following £8 Million Refurbishment

The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) today officially re-opened LSO St Luke’s, its musical home in the historic setting of the former St Luke’s Church in East London, following its transformation with improved state-of-the-art facilities for performance, recording, learning, and community engagement.

The redevelopment builds on LSO St Luke’s 20-year legacy as a hub for live performance, world-class recording, and the LSO’s award-winning education and community programme, LSO Discovery.

Key features of the development include:

• Enhanced acoustics in Jerwood Hall, the main performance space, making it a world-leading rehearsal and recording venue for a full symphony orchestra.
• Flexible new recording spaces, including a new Audio Control Room and Master Control Room, which incorporates rapid-changeover capability between live performance and digital capture.
• Rejuvenated flexible workshop spaces, the former café area has been transformed into the Hawksmoor Space which enables concurrent workshop and performance activity to take place
• New public entrance and approach, with improved lighting, ramps, and step-free access to the Grade I-listed building.
• Improved audience experience, with upgraded front of house, and hospitality areas, creating a dynamic arrival and interval environment.
• Accessibility throughout, including Changing Places facilities, accessible drop-off and pick-up, wheelchair positions, and upgraded wayfinding.
• Low-carbon, energy-efficient solutions, aligning with the LSO’s sustainability goals.

The refurbishment, which began in January 2025, cost £8 million and was supported by a successful fundraising campaign, including a lead gift from Alex and Elena Gerko. The project has been completed on time and on budget, under the leadership of architects Levitt Bernstein, who oversaw the original award-winning transformation of St Luke’s in 2003. Other members of the Design team include as Theatre Projects Theatre Consultants, Max Fordham as Building Services Engineers, Price & Myers as Structural Engineers, and Threshold Acoustics as Acousticians. Avison Young have acted as Project Managers, with Bristow as Cost consultants. The Contractors were GPF Lewis.

LSO St Luke’s reopens on 7 November, in time for the autumn LSO Discovery programme. The venue returns with a full public programme, including the BBC Radio 3 Chamber Music series, community days, and performances from Associate Artists Tangram and Drake Music.

In 2026 cellist and composer Ayanna Witter-Johnson, an alumna of the Helen Hamlyn Panufnik Composers’ Scheme and Soundhub programme will participate in a major new collaboration as Artistic Associate.

‘I’m honoured to become an Artistic Associate at LSO St Luke’s from 2026. My journey with the LSO began through the Helen Hamlyn Panufnik Composers’ Scheme, where I had the opportunity to compose and workshop my first orchestral piece in Jerwood Hall. To now return in this new role — curating, composing for and performing in two concerts a year alongside friends and collaborators — feels like a beautiful full-circle moment and a wonderful opportunity to keep creating in a space that has meant so much to me’

The revitalised LSO St Luke’s will allow the orchestra to expand its education and community initiatives, reaching more young people and local residents than ever before. Key partners include the Community Gamelan Group, Clerkenwell Community Choir, and London Youth Choirs, joining the programme next year.

Among other new projects for the near future, are a series of late-night concerts and Insight events, giving audiences a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process behind orchestral repertoire.

The LSO’s Composers Schemes will also be part of LSO St Luke’s wider programming, continue to collaborate with early-career composers to develop their work, refine their artistic voice, and reach new audiences.

Kathryn McDowell, Managing Director of the LSO, said: ‘Reopening LSO St Luke’s marks a new chapter for the orchestra, enabling us to continue our pioneering work with young musicians and composers of all ages, and our local communities as well as serving the latest requirements for digital technologies essential for modern recordings and live performances.’

Sir Antonio Pappano, LSO’s Chief Conductor Designate, added: ‘I’m really looking forward to experiencing the new acoustics. My first personal experience will be with a series of lunchtime chamber concerts in the refurbished Jerwood Hall next March. I can’t wait for many more full-scale symphonic recordings too. LSO St Luke’s is such a unique and remarkable space—it truly remains the beating heart of the Orchestra.’

The LSO warmly acknowledges the generosity of Alex and Elena Gerko, Arts Council England, The City of London Corporation’s Community Infrastructure Levy Neighbourhood Fund and all donors whose support made the project possible and is grateful for the in-house LSO team, the design team and the contractors for this significant achievement.