Sir Paul McCartney visited LIPAΜύ as it held a Gala event to celebrate it's tenth anniversary including a show at the Philharmonic Hall for students, staff and graduates with live performances from current students and footage of the Institutes history.
> The event will also revealed the Liverpool Culture Companyβs plans for Liverpool's 2006 Year of Performance celebrations focusing on arts, sports and business.
 | | Fans wait for Sir Paul at LIPA's opening |
When LIPA opened in 1996 it became a school dedicated to the people who want to enter the world of arts and entertainment, either as performers or those who can make performance possible. Founded by Sir Paul McCartney and Mark Featherstone-Witty, LIPA spent Β£20m and took five years' effort to create the institute from the ground up.
 | | The Queen visits LIPA |
The result was a range of unique courses and a cultural centre with world class facilities that attracts a wide scope of international students. Paul McCarney, speaking at LIPA said: βI had always dreamt of being able to help my wonderful home town of Liverpool in some way or other. Having discovered the state of his old school, McCartney then met Mark Featherstone-Witty and began to lay the foundations for LIPA after receiving funding from the Liverpool City Council.
βThere are two themes to the event. We want to show the sound achievements we and the students have made and we want to look at the journey the students take from the first day that they arrive.β says Mark Featherstone-Witty.
The council, then aiming to promote Liverpool as a city of music supported McCartneyβs aim to regenerate his old school and provide a creative atmosphere for artists to study and work.
The building itself is a landmark in Liverpool with an vivid history, the renovations have turned the building into a world class institute for prominent performers such as Joan Armatrading who was voted one of the most influential women in rock in the VH1 poll.
Joan Armatrading told the campaigners she is happy to be support the Institute: βLIPA is about having talent and using it.
It is a very forward-looking, positive place and I enjoy working with its principal Mark Featherstone Witty. And, of course, Liverpool is Capital of Culture 2008. I was pleased to support its bid and was so happy it was successful.βΜύ | 
