ABBEY ROAD LECTURES

90 Years of the Most Famous Studio in the World

 

This November, you can step inside Studio Two to discover 90 years of music history, as part of our 90th anniversary celebrations.


13, 14, 20 & 21 November

 

BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE

On 12 November 2021, Abbey Road Studios officially turns 90 years old! As part of our year-long anniversary celebrations, over two weekends in November we’re opening our doors to let you step inside Studio Two for a series of exclusive lectures exploring the past, present and future of the world’s most iconic recording studio.

 

Abbey Road is normally closed to the public, so this is a rare opportunity to step inside the famous house and see where recorded music history is made. Taking place almost 90 years to the day since Sir Edward Elgar’s famous ‘opening ceremony’ at Abbey Road (12 November 1931) in which he conducted the LSO in a landmark recording of Pomp and Circumstance, the talks will chart the story from the inception of the world’s first purpose built recording studios, explaining how the rooms, equipment, recording techniques and engineers have adapted through the decades to continue to be the home of the most famous recordings in music.

 
 

About the Lectures


The lectures will be given by Kevin Ryan & Brian Kehew - producers, musicians and authors of Recording The Beatles, the definitive book charting the studio equipment and techniques used to create The Beatles’ classic albums. While researching their book, Kevin and Brian dug deep into the EMI Archives, uncovering fascinating and often hidden stories of Abbey Road’s history which they’ll bring to life through their talks.

 
 

13, 14, 20 & 21 November

Studio Two
BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE

The talks will take place in Studio Two, home to countless landmark recordings by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Shirley Bassey, The Hollies, Kate Bush, Oasis, Radiohead, Muse, Adele, Ed Sheeran and many more. Ticket buyers will have the rare chance to take photos inside Studio Two during their visit (before and after the talks).

What to expect...

Meet The Lecturers

Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan, authors of Recording The Beatles, will explore the studios' legacy of innovation through wonderful video and rare audio content during the lectures.

90 Years Of History At Abbey Road

Home to countless landmark recordings and groundbreaking advances in audio technology, discover why Abbey Road is the world's most famous recording studio.

Access to Studio Two

The lectures will take place in the most famous of our Studios, Studio Two. Guests will have time before the lectures begin to explore Studio Two and a display of instruments and equipment from our collection.

 

The Abbey Road Lectures

Here’s what people thought of our lectures…

 

"An extraordinary, unforgettable experience!"

"Just the opportunity to set foot inside studio 2 was so special. The lecture was fascinating and very engaging. I could hardly believe it when after the lecture we were allowed to play the pianos, and I managed the intro to Let It Be on each of them!"

Myra, West Yorkshire

"A day to remember for the rest of my life!!!"

"I have to say they were a most unforgettable experience! Being inside that studio was already amazing enough, but the amount of information Kevin and Brian show you is just mind blowing. I learnt so much about the history of the Studios- there's just not enough words I could say about this event. Please make an effort to be there, you definitely won't regret it!"

Lizzie Bravo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

"The event of a lifetime!"

"I planned my trip to England around this event and it's worth every penny. The lecturers were very interesting and well prepared. The audio and video extracts are exceptional. The visit of these legendary studios were fabulous."

Regis, Canada

 

Meet the lecturers

Brian Kehew
Kevin Ryan
 
From the authors of Recording The Beatles: The Studio Equipment and Techniques Used To Create Their Classic Albums addresses the technical side of The Beatles' sessions and is the result of over a decade of research on the subject. The book looks at every piece of recording equipment used at Abbey Road Studios during the Beatles' sessions, and explores the profound effect this equipment had on the Beatles' sessions in great detail.

Recording The Beatles contains unseen photographs of the Beatles in the studio, testimonials from Abbey Road Engineers and follows the complete history of the band at Abbey Road, starting with their artist test in 1962 and progressing through to their final session in 1970.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE
 

BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE: Covid-19

Abbey Road follows all government guidelines and legislation to ensure that our events are as safe as possible. We will continually review and update our approach for this event in line with government guidance.

Please note that guests will be seated at full capacity in Studio 2. At time of writing, face coverings are not mandatory for an event of this type, but guests are welcome to wear them in the Studios. Any adjustments or additions to the operating conditions for the event will be communicated to guests as soon as possible in the lead up to the event.

Should government guidelines deem that is it unsafe to run the event, we will endeavour to find the next available opportunity to host the event and allow you to transfer your ticket to that future date, or receive a refund (refunds will exclude the SeeTickets transaction fee).

Please note that if the event does go ahead, but you are unable to attend the event because of any reason, refunds will not be offered on your ticket price, so please plan carefully before purchasing your tickets.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE
 

FAQs

AGE LIMITS

Given the nature of the lectures, with close access to various rare and unusual pieces of equipment from our archives, the lectures only suitable for those aged 13+.

Those aged 13-16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

SECURITY & BAG POLICY

We’d ask that guests don’t bring large bags or luggage with them for their visit as there will be nowhere to store them at the Studio and taking them into Studio Two will not be possible.
 

Questions? Get in touch...

Events Team


events@abbeyroad.com 

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Abbey Road Studios

3 Abbey Road
London
NW8 9AY
UK

Please note that Abbey Road is a working studio and business and as such, is not open to the general public for visits or tours. For information on vacancies and internships in the UK, please visit the Universal Music website.