My first visit to the Festival Hall was in Jan 1955 to see 'Where the Rainbow Ends' with Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin. I was 11 years old and the visit was organised by my school - 'The Rocen [?] School' Greenwich. I was fascinated by the sight of the auditorium and the excitement and anticipation before the performance. The ballet was magical and a little bermusing for a child from the suburbs. London was a rather drab place in the 50s, but the Festival Hall seemed from my first encounter to be a place to enjoy sounds and emotions and joy and magic. I still have the programme after 50 years. I became an enthusiastic concert goer and look forward to the next 50 years.