Leon Cole has been named head of commercial and programming at Union Chapel, with a mission to lead the London venue into a “new era of live event curation”.
Cole succeeds Brett Pracownik and was promoted internally, having worked extensively within the live sector throughout his career, with previous roles including The Cellar in Oxford, Bristol’s Anson Rooms. He is also founding director of the Field Maneuvers festival.
“I’m really thrilled to be taking on this new role at Union Chapel,” said Cole. “The role lets me bring together both my commercial and programming expertise in one place.”
Expanding further on his remit, he said that the venue “is in a great position commercially, and the programming under Brett Pracownik was amazing”.
Every artist who sees the space falls in love with it immediately
Leon Cole, Union Chapel
“My job now is to fine-tune the commercial side to future-proof the venue, broadening the programme a little further, making sure we’re appealing to an audience which is as diverse as the amazing city in which we operate,” he added.
Kathryn Dixon, interim MD at Union Chapel commented; "I am delighted to welcome Leon to such a key role with the organisation. With impressive credentials in venue management and music programming, Leon is the perfect person to lead Union Chapel into a new era of live event curation, with a renewed focus on artistic variety, client service and financial sustainability. Our programme not only thrills audiences but also funds our vital work in heritage restoration and community engagement. With our recent investment in state-of-the-art sound and lighting and our 150th anniversary approaching, it is a very exciting time for Union Chapel, and we look forward to sharing this with our audiences and supporters in many different ways.”
Recently named London’s best venue by Time Out, Union Chapel is much-loved by artists and fans alike.
“Every artist who sees the space falls in love with it immediately”, said Cole, “Union Chapel is one of the few buildings of its era built specifically for music performance, designed for acoustics. All credit goes to our team stewards and security too, for making sure every visitor has an amazing experience. It’s one of the best and most dedicated teams in London.”
With our recent investment in state-of-the-art sound and lighting and our 150th anniversary approaching, it is a very exciting time for Union Chapel
Kathryn Dixon, Union Chapel
The venue celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2027, with plans underway for a year of celebration, including “headline-grabbing concerts from artists who have supported the venue over the years”.
Cole added: “The 150th anniversary is a real chance to capitalise on the goodwill people have for this building and to showcase everything the Chapel can do. We’re incredibly lucky that artists love playing here. We’re not the biggest venue in London, but people love us because of the architecture, the acoustics and the strength of our team.”
Union Chapel has also disclosed details of investment in its technical set up, including the installation of two new DiGiCo Quantum 326 mixing consoles, a new flown L-Acoustics line array system in the balcony and new L-Acoustics LA12X CE amplifiers. A full lighting overhaul that will see the venue move to a fully LED system is also planned.
PHOTO: Joseph Okpako/Getty
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