MORE should be done in Worcester to celebrate Sir Edward Elgar as the 150th anniversary of his birth draws closer - according to enthusiasts of the famous composer.
A new city concert hall for performances of Elgar's work and dedicated exhibitions at the city museum are among ideas suggested by the Elgar School of Music's chairman of governors David Wright and principal Donald Hunt.
Their calls come after returning from a trip to Austria where they said they stunned by how much, in Salzburg and Vienna, the cities capitalised on their association with Austrian composer Mozart and the 250th anniversary of his birth.
Next year - on June 2 - marks the 150th anniversary of Lower Broadheath-born Elgar's birth and the Elgar School is currently arranging concerts to mark the occasion.
But Mr Wright said the city had never quite capitalised on Elgar in the way towns such as Stratford-upon-Avon had with William Shakespeare.
He added: "We'd like the 150th celebrations to kick-start Worcester getting more involved in Elgar but that should be the start of seeing him as a tourist
attraction.
"From a purely selfish point of view, there's money to be made and Worcester is looking to attract more tourists.
"Here we have this story to tell about this great English composer and the great music he wrote and the interesting life he had but we're not really doing anything with it."
One of their main proposals is to establish a proper concert hall as they say there is nowhere sufficient in the city to stage his work, bar the Cathedral which was not built for that purpose. The duo suggested the old vinegar factory in Silver Street as a potential venue, which City councillor David Clarke has previously argued could be put to such use.
Other suggestions include the city museum setting up a permanent exhibition on the composer and an Elgar information centre in the city signposting visitors to the Elgar Birthplace Museum in Lower Broadheath and selling Elgar-related items.
Mr Hunt said: "There's no one between Henry Purcell and Elgar who set English music alight in that way - this is a Worcestershire born and bred man who achieved so much so we should really be letting everybody know about him as much as we can."
Anyone wanting more information can contact the Elgar School of Music on 01905 28613.
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