A NEW teaching and creative centre, the Townshend Studio, has opened at the University of West London in Ealing.

It features synthesisers and instruments provided by rock legend and UWL alumnus Pete Townshend, co-founder and guitarist of The Who, one of the most influential bands of the 1960s and 1970s.

The Townshend Studio, unveiled on Thursday (10), is part of UWL’s London College of Music at the university’s Ealing campus.

The new studio arose from Pete Townshend looking for a home for his synthesisers, leaving a legacy for the next generation and a catalyst for creativity.

The collection includes some of the most influential instruments in the development of electronic music.

 It comprises 12 principal synthesisers, including the ARP Model 2500 (1970) used on Quadrophenia, and the rare and sought-after Yamaha GX-1 (1975), one of only 10 made with a retail price of more than $60,000 on release.

“It’s my hope that the studio will be a creative space for learning, collaboration, experimentation and play, inspired by the musical and artistic legacy of Ealing, an area integral to the development of British music in the 1960s,” said Pete Townshend.

Like many other musicians of his generation, including fellow UWL alumni Freddie Mercury and the Stones’ Ronnie Wood, Townshend attended art school.

During his time at the Ealing School of Art, now part of the University of West London, he studied under a pioneer of new media, Roy Ascott.

Townshend describes his time there as “a revelation” and has credited Ascott’s teaching with informing his vision for The Who.

His experience on the graphic design course helped develop an identity for the band.

“I came up with target T-shirts, Union Jack jackets, the arrow over the ‘O’ in the name The Who... it taught me about presentation and the importance of the client, or in my case, the audience,”  Townshend added.    

He has worked closely with academic and technical staff to design and build the studio.

The launch was attended by 300-plus guests, who heard the rock star reflect on his life and music career.