Four Seasons Centre
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The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is a 2,000-seat theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada which had its grand opening Wednesday, June 14, 2006.
When completed the venue will be the new home of the Canadian Opera Company and The National Ballet of Canada, replacing the Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts.
The inaugural production in the new opera house will be Richard Wagner’s epic tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). Three complete Ring Cycles will be performed in September 2006.
A substantial donation from the Four Seasons hotel chain gave them naming rights to the complex.
Location
The new theatre is at the southeast corner of University Avenue and Queen Street West, across from Osgoode Hall. The land on which it is being built was a gift from the Government of Ontario. It was a former location of the Ontario Supreme Court offices and is valued at $31 million.The TTC's Osgoode subway station and numerous streetcar routes serve this location. This new arts venue is likely to provide a boost to restaurants and hotels along Queen Street West.
Design and construction
The Canadian Opera Company organized a competition to select an architect for the new theatre. Ten firms of architects submitted their proposals from which the winning firm was the Canadian Diamond and Schmitt Architects.
The auditorium is modeled after European opera houses with its tiered horseshoe-shaped auditorium. The architects attempted to create the best natural acoustics possible.
The costs of the project are estimated at $181 million.
External links
- [Canadian Opera Company official website]
- [Four Seasons Centre official website]
- [Review construction progress]
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