Melbourne Recital Centre (MRC) is a venue and organisation for live music inMelbourne,Victoria, Australia. The organisation programs and presents more than 500 concerts and events a year across diverse range of musical genres including classical andchamber music, contemporary, pop, folk, rock, electronica, indie, jazz, cabaret and world music. Opened in 2009, the centre is Melbourne's second largest auditorium for classical music.

Melbourne Recital Centre

Melbourne Recital Centre, part of theMelbourne Arts Precinct
Address	Corner of Southbank Boulevard and Sturt Street Melbourne Australia
Owner	Melbourne Recital Centre Ltd. (Government of Victoria)
Type	Concert and Recital Hall
Capacity	1000 (Elisabeth Murdoch Hall)
Construction
Opened	2009
Architect	Ashton Raggatt McDougall
Website
www.melbournerecital.com.au

The building was opened in 2009, as part of the Melbourne Recital Centre and Melbourne Theatre CompanySouthbank Theatre complex designed byAshton Raggat McDougall,^[1] with acoustic and theatre consulting byArup.^[2]

Melbourne Recital Centre is located on the corner of Southbank Boulevard and Sturt Street in theMelbourne Arts Precinct,Southbank. It is Melbourne's second largest auditorium for classical music (afterHamer Hall inArts Centre Melbourne).

The centre features two auditoria, the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, and a smaller Salon. The former, a "modified shoe box" shaped music venue, is named afterDame Elisabeth Murdoch. It has seating for 1000 on two levels.^[2][3]

The 135 m² (1,450 sq ft) stage, with optional 51 m² (550 sq ft) extension is designed to accommodate up to 45–65 musicians, making it well suited tochamber music and other small ensemble music.^[4] To eliminate noise from the nearby Southbank Boulevard cars and trams, it is surrounded by 250mm of concrete, mounted on 38 steel springs. The interior is lined with Hoop Pine plywood and is designed to give ideal bass response for cello and low brass.^[4] The shoebox shape, size and wooden surfaces were designed to provide a reverberation time of 1.6 to 1.8 seconds^[5]

The Salon can seat 136 people. The lighting, seating and stage can be configured to suit the performance.^[3]

Kathryn Fagg AO was for some years around 2014 to 2016 chair of MRC.^[6][7]

As of April 2024^[update], the board is headed byAndrea Hull.^[8]

The organisation programs and presents more than 500 concerts and events a year across diverse range of musical genres including classical and chamber, contemporary, pop, folk, rock, electronica, indie, jazz, cabaret and world music.

In 2013, theAsia-Pacific Chamber Music Competition was presented byChamber Music Australia in association with the Melbourne Recital Centre (MRC).Murdoch University,Arts Victoria,Musica Viva, andABC Classic FM were all partners, andDame Elisabeth Murdoch was patron.^[9]

In 2016, Musica Viva took over co-management of theMelbourne International Chamber Music Competition, together with MRC and theAustralian National Academy of Music.^[10]

Melbourne Recital Centre andMTC Theatre complex won the Moore Stephens National Award for Public Buildings at the Property Council of Australia – the country's highest award for a public building.^[2][11] The complex also won theVictorian Architecture Medal, the William Wardell Award for Public Architecture and the Joseph Reed Award for Urban Design at theAustralian Institute of Architects Victoria Chapter State Architecture Awards in 2009.^[2]

TheMusic Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006. The award for Best Venue was introduced in 2016.

• The Arts Centre (Melbourne)
• Architectural acoustics

• Melbourne Recital Centre website

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