Linder Auditorium, University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand’s Education Campus, situated at 27 St Andrew’s Road in Parktown, is known to far more people than those who teach and learn at this institution. The campus is home to the Linder Auditorium, the Space Frame Foyer and Space Frame Theatre, which are popular settings for many cultural performances.
The Linder Auditorium is a landmark and the recitals put on there have the musical cognoscente flocking to enjoy concerts in its brilliant acoustic environment. Popular for choir and dance festivals, ballets, ceremonies and a range of productions, the Linder is also the home of the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO).
Concert at Linder Auditorium. Photo courtesy ParaScubaSailor
In 2010, the JPO celebrated its 10th anniversary of entertaining audiences with classical music of the highest calibre. The JPO has created sustainable employment for the members of its orchestra – no mean feat – and thrills crowds with four seasons of symphony concerts every year. Internationally renowned soloists and conductors have graced the stage of the concert hall and contributed towards the highly favourable reputation of the JPO and Linder. Behind the scenes, the Linder has temperature-regulated rooms in which pianos are housed, and chambers for famous conductors to warm up in.
An evening at the Linder is a great night out. You can enjoy a simple and inexpensive meal at the licensed Siyafunda Café, immediately adjacent to the auditorium, before a show. The café has a great view of the lights of the Parktown ridge and the six spires of the Mormon Temple. The Johannesburg South Africa Temple on Jubilee Road has become part of the skyline of the ridge, along with Charlotte Maxeke Hospital (formerly the Johannesburg General Hospital). Visitors are welcome to learn more about the temple at the public visitor centre, where services offered to the public include assistance with tracing family history and accessing information about employment opportunities.
Admission
Ticked prices vary. For programme information, contact the Linder Auditorium or book shows through Computicket.
Directions
From Johannesburg’s M1 South, take the M27/Jan Smuts Avenue off-ramp. Merge onto Jan Smuts Avenue and turn left onto Empire Road. Turn left at Queens Road and left onto St Andrew’s Road.