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A fundraising evening supporting the cityscape designers of the future was staged at St George’s Hall on Thursday 19 October 2017.

With a line-up of amazing international diverse musical talent showcase in the sumptuous Concert Room at the grade I listed landmark, it was a celebration of global diversity through culture. All the money raised from the event went towards helping the ICCC International Student Design Fellowships supporting Architectural Leaders of the Future.

A special reception took place ahead of the evening where VIP audience members had the chance to meet the artists while enjoying refreshments in the surroundings of the 160-year-old Lime Street hall.

The stunning line-up of talent included Emanuel ‘Manny’ Perlman, a lyric tenor, composer, performing/recording artist, spiritual/civic leader, lecturer and World Ambassador whom legendary talk show host Larry King compared to a combination of Caruso and Mel Tormé.

He was joined on the programme by a solo harpist, and Crescendo, the Bernie Whelan choir. ‘King of Swing’ Asa Murphy and the Chinese Pagoda Youth Orchestra.

Alongside the individual performances, the event pre-launched a charity single, Talk to Me, in aid of the Williams Syndrome Foundation in the UK. Williams Syndrome, a rare and randomly occurring genetic disorder which affects around one in 18,000 people in the UK and causes physical, cardiac and mental health problems, sensory, behavioural, social and processing issues and learning disabilities.

Raising the Roof was organised by Universal Inclusion.

See the celebrations on film here.

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John Kiehl is a co-owner of Soundtrack Recording Studios in New York City, which he co-founded with his partner, Robert Cavicchio, in 1978.

Over those 40 years, John has worn every hat to be found in the recording studio environment: musician, composer, producer, engineer, and executive. 

Today, Soundtrack is involved with every form of audio production.

In 2013, his colleague, Tommy Fleischman won the Academy Award’s Best Audio Mix for his work on Scorcese’s "Hugo". Other clients include Ken Burns (“The Roosevelts”, “The Vietnam War”), Michael Moore (“Where To Invade Next”), and the ABC TV Series “Quantico”.

For the past 5 years, John has been a consultant to UN-Habitat's and ICCC's Music As A Global Initiative which seeks out programs from around the world that use music to foster economic and social development.

John is a 1973 graduate of MIT and uses his technical background to produce iPhone apps. His most recent app is a memory game derived from "Zooka Zooka Swang", a song he recently produced with Tony Prendatt of Mod Squad, LLC,  released by Warner Bros.

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This unique neo-classical building is the centre of Liverpool’s traditional cultural forum whose foundation stone was laid in 1838. 

It was built as a result of separate competitions to create a fitting space for the aspirational city to hold its music festivals and other assemblies and contains the vastly ornate Great Hall with its vaulted ceiling, Minton tiled floor, replete with maritime and civic symbolism and is also home to a massive pipe organ. 

The Small Concert Room at the Northern elevation of the Hall has been described as the 'Albert Hall in miniature' and is circular in design with a proscenium arch stage and is flanked by caryatids, female sculptural figures which are designed to give the impression of supporting the fine lace work of the iron balconies. 

Unusually, the Hall also houses the Crown and Civil Court which were working courts until the 1980s when the Court Service moved to new premises in Derby Square.  The ground floor and basement levels also house holding cells for prisoners and the condemned cell. 

St George’s Hall can lay claim to one of the oldest ventilation and air conditioning systems in the world, the workings of which can be seen in the lower basement level and throughout the Hall.

Heritage

(source: https://www.stgeorgeshallliverpool.co.uk/about/heritage/)

During the Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries, Liverpool developed rapidly.

Civic pride grew as the city prospered and as a consequence, a venue was needed to host impressive music festivals. In tandem, there was a pressing need for crown courts and civic courts of various sizes. The council decided to combine both projects and so the concept of St George’s Hall was born.

The Hall was the vision of Harvey Lonsdale Elmes, who although young, produced a magical concept to add spice to the design with the addition of the incredible 500 seat Concert room.

The Hall is a truly unique building in concept, design, and vision; the Victorians held nothing back in their ambition to create a work of art.

Elmes took inspiration from the Roman and Greek empires, creating a Neo Classical Greek-Romano building, now classed as one of the finest in the world. It is an intrinsic part of Liverpool’s UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Hall has held thousands of events over the years, many of which are iconic, receiving international acclaim.  The Hall is also fortunate to have a world renowned Willis concert organ, with recitals still taking place to this day within this majestic space with its barrel vaulted ceiling and the peerless encaustic tiled Minton Floor.

The Hall is recognised as the emotional heart of the city; it is where all the memorable moments of the city’s life converge.

Famous visitors to the building include Queen Victoria in 1851 who said the building was ‘worthy of ancient Athens’, Charles Dickens who gave a number of public readings in the Concert Room and claimed it to be ‘the most perfect Hall in the world’ and Liverpool-born Prime Minister William Gladstone, who was awarded the Freedom of the City in the Hall in 1892.

In 1984, when the law courts of Liverpool were relocated to Derby Square, the Hall was ‘mothballed’ and fell into a state of disrepair. Following a £23m restoration project, completed in 2007, the Hall was reopened on St George’s Day that year by another of its admirers, Prince Charles, and has become a grand focal point for cultural, community, civic, corporate and performing arts activities once again.

www.stgeorgeshallliverpool.co.uk

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The ICCC was founded in 1994 by the late Dr. Albert Bush-Brown, architectural historian, and Professor Dianne Davis to stimulate and showcase innovative concepts that address global longevity challenges and  opportunities. Through educational programs, conferences, technical support and international student architectural competitions, ICCC promotes a “ Society for All Generations.”

Focus Areas

Education and training, urban planning and design, health, information and communication technology, public-private partnerships, tourism, and public administration.

The ICCC is a not-for-profit organization that has Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. ICCC acts as a bridge linking government, civil society organizations, the private sector, universities and the United Nations in their efforts as a catalyst for new solutions that enhance and encourage adaptation and or replication in both developing and developed countries. ICCC is mainstreaming the impact of the new digital era on the 21st century growing “Agequake.”

Since its inception, ICCC has been committed to the principle that private enterprises and individuals can help society improve communities and social public activities. This is one of ICCC’s essential goals. ‘Hospitality Design in Healthcare and Senior Communities,’ authored by ICCC’s co-founders, inspired it’s advocating a holistic approach to the “Graying of Society.”

Twenty-three renowned world leaders since 1996 have been presented with ICCC “Caring” Awards for their contributions to society.

International Student Design Competition

Integrated Communities:A Society for All Ages

Competition Background:

The Integrated Communities: A Society for all Ages student design competition was established in 1994 to enhance understanding of the Age of Longevity and showcase innovative design solutions. This program is the centerpiece of the International Council for Caring Communities’ (ICCC) global dialogues; it endeavors to prepare the next generation of designers to enhance the quality of life for the growing graying society. The competition is organized in conjunction with the United Nations Programme for Human Settlements (UN-HABITAT) and the United Nations Programme on Ageing, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the private sector. Furthermore, it is endorsed around the world by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture.

A Sleeping Giant is being awakened, “The Agequake” is here! Every month around the world over 1 million people turn 60 years old, with the fastest growth in developing countries.

ICCC’s mission is to help communities worldwide address the social, economic and cultural impact of aging populations in the design and planning for a better quality of life for all ages.

To address this issue, the ICCC has organized since 1995 a series of competitions, with exhibitions in Chile for the Americas; Hungary for Central and Eastern Europe; Spain for the 2nd World Assembly on Ageing; China and Thailand for the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP); Ireland and Japan, and at United Nations Headquarters in New York in conjunction with the United Nations Commission for Social Development.

Overall Purpose:

Competition’s interrelated long-term goals are:
1. To raise the awareness of architectural and design students to the needs of older persons;
2. To increase cross-cultural understanding;
3. To incorporate the growing role of ICT in communities;
4. To encourage a close connection between proposed solutions and the real world.

Past competitions have influenced local planning, educational curricula, encouraged dialogue and established new mindsets; they all deal with inclusive communities, created through a combination of new construction, renovation, reuse and environmental intervention. Through its efforts, this student competition seeks to encourage concepts and projects, which can address the needs and aspirations of multi-generational communities.

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