MAY | ME, MYSELF & I
Lucy Noble
Royal Albert Hall’s Artistic/Commercial
Director talks to Access about her venue’s new
livestreaming scheme, and her work as Chair of
the National Arenas Association
Interview by: Stuart Wood
to encompass several other
areas, so I’m now the Artistic and
Commercial Director. I look after
the production and technical team,
partnerships and sponsorship, the
education & outreach programme
and the organ!
Lucy Noble’s career
at RAH has spanned
almost twenty years,
which have seen
her taking the helm
across all aspects
of the venue’s
management. RAH’s
latest project, Royal
Albert Home, is
covered in more
depth on pages
30-31.
42
How did you come to work in
events, and your current position as
Artistic and Commercial Director
at RAH?
My family love music, so I was
introduced to it from an early
age. Later I studied at the Royal
College of Music and performed as a
musician, but I was also involved in
the industry on the organisational
side. While I was at the RCM I
worked as a steward at the Hall, and
I remember seeing the woman who
was doing what is essentially my job
now and thinking, “That’s the job I
want.”
In 2002 the programming
department at the Hall was having
a shake-up, so I went for a role
there, and was appointed Lettings
Manager. Two years later I became
Programming Manager and,
in 2008, Head of Programming
and Education. Later I was made
Director of Events, which expanded
Can you tell us about your plans
for livestreaming initiative Royal
Albert Home?
We wanted to do something to
keep the venue’s spirit alive and to
keep us in the public eye during
closure - a project that would
provide something for audiences at
this difficult time, and also attract
donations. Royal Albert Home
promised to do all of that, as well
as celebrating the diversity of our
programme, supporting artists, and
strengthening our relationships
with management and agents.
The response has been amazing: a
programme of world-class artists,
interest from all over the globe, and
more than half a million streams
in the first fortnight. We even got a
tweet from the Queen supporting
the programme!
Do you think streaming events will
persist once lockdown is over, or is
it only a stopgap measure?
Yes, we’d like to continue with
the series. That could potentially
mean streaming major shows from
the Hall alongside more intimate
sessions, with the latter coming
from artists’ homes, interesting
spaces around the building or
our famous stage. It’s central to
everything we do at the Hall that
the shows we put on are accessible
to the public, and this opens that up
in a new way, making us accessible
to anyone with an internet
connection.
Are you concerned the music venue
ecosystem could be at risk?
Yes, I think everyone in the industry
is concerned. Closures are putting
a great strain on the finances of
venues in the UK, both big and
small. We’re working extremely
hard to minimise the impact on
staff and on the charity itself, but
our remit is a challenging one – to
promote the arts and sciences and
protect one of the country’s most
beloved buildings – and we need
money to do that.
What kind of work do you do with
the National Arenas Association?
I chair the NAA, which brings
together 23 of our national
arenas from across the UK. We
discuss common topics and
share good working practices.
It’s been interesting and, in
these circumstances, certainly a
challenge – when I took on the role
last year, I couldn’t have anticipated
chairing it through a pandemic.