Committed to bringing to Reading the very best of contemporary Jazz, over the coming year we will be bringing some of the top names of the UK Jazz scene to the Rising Sun!!
Developed out of the Out To Lunch Club, Rising Sun Jazz will be featuring some amazing events, as well as some of the countries finest musicians. These are not artistes you will hear at the average Jazz club!
This should prove to be an exciting development for contemporary Jazz in Reading, so if you are into Jazz don’t miss the opportunity to see cutting edge performers at the top of their game!
We also provide a splendid range of organic beers, a selection of organic wines and offer students a concessionary admission fee!
Excellent Jazz, quality ales, and all in an intimate, informal atmosphere! Why not come along and check out the vibe for yourself?
In November 1990 a group of artists first squatted this building in Silver St. with the intention of creating an alternative, non mainstream art space in Reading. Since then the Rising Sun has been through innumerable changes and a number of crisis points where the future looked bleak to say the least. Now we are reasonably secure but only through the hard work of many, many people who work to keep the Centre going.
The Rising Sun’s building was constructed in the nineteenth century as a Temperance House among the then massed ranks of pubs and other houses of ill repute in Silver Street . It was built to the design of the architect Alfred Waterhouse - who was also responsible for the far grander Natural History Museum in London. Architecture fans may notice his bold use of terracotta and patterned brick work feature in the design of both buildings. The main building is now listed as Grade 2 by English Heritage.
We involve volunteers in all aspects of the Centre’s work. People get involved with our work as performers, artists, or promoters, by taking part in classes or workshops, by becoming involved in one of our participatory arts projects or by helping to run the Centre itself.
We’ve tried to stay true to the original aims of the Rising Sun ’Institute’ and keep the intentions of its founders alive by aiming to improve the quality of life for everyone.
We remain independent, run by local people, putting on ground level events which are not catered for elsewhere in the town.
It's always nice to find places that really make a difference in a town, it's great of you to really offer something different to those who want it...I really enjoyed playing. x ingrid
Thank you very much for your hospitality and great facility for when we played there Sunday 10th February. It was a lovely occasion made very special by you....if only there were more places like this in more towns throughout the UK then we wouldn't have to pollute the environment with all the air miles travelled so as to pay the bills at home.
You are doing a huge service to the local community
hey Rising Sun! What a pleasure to play in your lovely room....I was very honored to be playing at the start of this series of experimental and cutting edge music...how fantastic it would be if reading's Rising Sun could be one more in the few venues there are in the country for contemporary improvised music, that pushes at the boundaries of sounds! i feel sure that it will be. Good luck with the rest of the series...I hope to make it down to some of the concerts. best wishes. HannahX
