Conductors who have appeared at the hall include Edward Elgar who conducted the first performance of his composition King Olaf (Op 30). In 1996 Donald Hunt conducted the BBC Philharmonic and the Ceramic City Choir in a revival to mark the centenary of the premiere.[4][5]
Originally the building had a capacity of 2,800 people, but this has since been reduced considerably to 1,467 as seating replaced wooden forms and benches.[1][2]
The organ has four manuals. The original instrument was presented by George Meakin, a local businessman, who acquired it in Yorkshire. It was rebuilt and enlarged in the 1920s. The organ has since been modified more than once, but the most recent work has been aimed at restoring its 1920s tone.[7][8]
As an adjunct to the town hall, the building originally had minimal front-of-house facilities. To remedy this, an extension was constructed in 1999 as part of the development of a "Cultural Quarter" in Hanley. This building interlinks with the hall, providing a new entrance space with better facilities for the audiences and performers along with access for the disabled to all parts of the house.[9]
^Neale, William A. (2010). Old Theatres in the Potteries (Second ed.). Stoke-on-Trent. pp. 84–89. ISBN9781446638460.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)