Calgary Centre for the Performing Arts Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
-- 23:34, 31 Oct 2004 (UTC)The Calgary Centre for the Performing Arts is an arts venue in Calgary, Alberta. It was officially opened on September 14, 1985 by then Alberta premier Peter Lougheed.The oldest building within the Centre is the Burns Building. Construction of the Burns Building, named after noted Calgarian Patrick Burns, began in April of 1912 and originally cost $350,000. Around 1980 the demolition of the Burns building became a possibility because it sat on land that was needed for the construction of the Calgary Centre for the Performing Arts. The proposal for the demolition of the Burns building (and the Calgary Public Building) was defeated by one City Council vote and the two buildings were incorporated into the plan of the Centre.
The Calgary Public building was built between 1930 and 1931 its original cost is estimated between 1.5 and 2 million dollars. This building was oficially opened Monday August 24, 1931 by Prime Minister R.B. Bennett in a low key ceremony. In 1979 the building was bought by the City of Calgary for $3.8 million. The upper floors of the Calgary Public Building are still occupied by City of Calgary offices.
The Jack Singer Concert Hall is the largest building within the Centre. The Jack Singer Concert Hall can seat 1,700 to 2,000 patrons. It is said to be a synthesis of some of the world's finest concert halls (Grosser Musikvereinssaal in Vienna, the Boston Symphony Hall, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam). Suspended above the stage of the hall is a 185,000 pound laminated sprucewood acoustical canopy which can be raised or lowered to tune the hall according to the specific needs of each performer. The Jack Singer Concert Hall is the permanent home of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra which employs 64 full time musicians. The Jack Singer Concert Hall also houses the Carthy Organ there are 6040 pipes in the Carthy Organ.
There are four other performing arts theatres within the Centre: The Max Bell is home to Theatre Calgary; The Martha Cohen Theatre is home to Alberta Theatre Projects (ATP); The Big Secret Theatre, home to One Yellow Rabbit; and The Engineered Air Theatre - which is used for plays, weddings, receptions and galas.
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