Facilities
The opening of the Laidlaw Music Centre in 2020 marked the start of an exciting new phase of music-making for the University and the wider community. Equipped with state-of-the-art performance, rehearsal, recording and tuition spaces, the new building provides a hub for musical creativity of all kinds.
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The Laidlaw Music Centre houses a large collection of sheet music encompassing vocal and instrumental solo and chamber repertoire, scores, and orchestral and choral sets. These may be borrowed by Music Centre members and affiliated societies.
The collection is partially catalogued, and you can view the catalogue here:
Music Centre library catalogue August 2025 (Excel).
Some items are not yet catalogued, but if you are looking for something specific, we will look for it and let you know if it is available.
Instructions for borrowing items from the library are here.
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The Laidlaw Music Centre may be hired, either as a whole building or separate rooms within it, for performances, courses, summer schools, meetings and conferences. Find out more about hiring here.
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The two University chapels – St Salvator's Chapel on North Street and St Leonard's Chapel in the grounds of St Leonard's School on South Street – play a central role in the musical life of the University. Each chapel has its own chapel choir and an organ. In addition to regular services, concerts are held there throughout the year.
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The Music Centre owns a large number of instruments, including:
- pianos - grand and upright
- keyboards including: two harpsichords, fortepiano, celeste, chamber organ, harmonium
- a set of viols
- baroque bows
- acoustic guitars
- a pedal harp
- a clarsach
- a theremin
- a guzheng
- a wide variety of woodwind, string, brass and percussion instruments including sopranino and bass saxophones, alto, bass and baroque flutes,
- four University organs (see 'Organs' section below).
The Music Centre's instruments are available, free of charge, to any Music Centre member, subject to availability. Users should demonstrate reasonable playing ability, or be receiving tuition at the Music Centre.
Portable instruments can usually be taken away from the building for practising. However, in some circumstances (e.g. if the instrument is very large, valuable or delicate, or if it is needed by more than one user) the instrument must be kept in the Laidlaw Music Centre.
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The Laidlaw Music Centre is uniquely equipped for playing, recording and creating music. Facilities include USB Soundcards, Microphones, Dante audio networking, NDI video networking, Keyboards, iMacs for recording running Logic Pro and Reaper software, Electronic Drum Kits, Guitar and Bass instruments and Amplifiers plus a Theremin. Any practice/rehearsal/recital room in the building can act as a recording space controlled from any of the five iMacs in the Electronic Music Hub. More details on using the Music Technology can be seen on the Room Booking page.
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The University's four organs (in St Salvator's Chapel, St Leonard's Chapel, the Younger Hall and the Laidlaw Music Centre) are available for Music Centre members to play, subject to approval by the University Organist, Tom Wilkinson. Please email taw21@st-andrews.ac.uk for further information.