Sheffield’s new £14m music school closes with £1.6m Canada House purchase

Sheffield’s Harmony Works Trust is celebrating a key project milestone after acquiring the 35,000 sq.ft Grade II listed Canada House in the city centre.

The £14 million Harmony Works project will restore and revitalize Canada House, one of Sheffield’s largest buildings, which will be transformed into a new central music education hub for young musicians from the city and region .

Harmony Works will host every genre of music and music-inspired culture, offering spaces for teaching, practice, rehearsal and performance.

The trust, which was granted charitable status in August 2023, bought Canada House from retail brand Panache for £1.6m. The Harmony Works project and Canada House refurbishment is supported by a number of funding initiatives, including Government Level Up Funding provided by Sheffield City Council to support the regeneration of Castlegate.

Canada House’s city center location means that it can be reached by public transport from all parts of South Yorkshire, ensuring that the best music education is accessible to all.

Founded by Sheffield Music Hub, Sheffield Music Academy, Brass Bands England and Music in the Round, the central project is also supported by Sheffield City Council, major public funders, Sheffield Culture Collective and universities.

David Hobson, chairman of Harmony Works Trust, said: “Our aim is to promote growth and transformation through the power of music. We are incredibly excited to announce that Canada House is officially ours. This is an important moment for our project.

“We, along with all our partners, collaborators and funders, have worked incredibly hard to get here and want to say a huge thank you for all their help and support to date.”

Harmony Works is committed to creating an inclusive music education space that inspires musical exploration, broadens horizons, improves wellbeing and promotes Sheffield’s architectural heritage.

Emily Pieters, Project Director of Harmony Works, added: “While we are one step closer to achieving our long-term goals of creating a more accessible and inclusive music pathway for young people and their communities in the Sheffield region, our work here it’s just getting started.

“With significant support from the public sector secured, we now need the help of our private sector to see this project through.”

Councilor Martin Smith, Chair of Sheffield City Council’s Skills and Economic Development Committee, said: “As well as creating an educational and inspirational space in Sheffield, the Harmony Works project will be a major catalyst for change in our city, particularly in Castlegate. area.

“It will also help to preserve one of our city’s finest historic buildings and deliver a plan to transform the provision of music in the region.”

An Italian Renaissance building, Canada House was built in 1875 for the Sheffield United Gas Company. In recent decades, the building has taken on many guises, from nightclubs to restaurants, and more recently was home to specialist lingerie brand Panache.

Funding support to date has been provided by the Architectural Heritage Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Sheffield City Council, South Yorkshire Combined Mayor’s Authority, UK Government and local trusts and foundations. International law firm CMS LLP also provided pro-bono legal support for the project in 2018.

Harmony Works Trust is now seeking further funding support from Arts Council England and trusts and foundations for the next stage of the project.