This week Massey Hall was in the headlines with the exciting news of the revitalization of the Theatre Block, the block on Yonge Street, north of Queen that includes Massey Hall and the Elgin Winter Garden Theatre. Toronto developer MOD Developments Inc.announced on Monday the purchase of 197-201 Yonge Street, a 20,000 square foot parcel of land that includes the historically designated CIBC bank building. The land, which has been owned by Parasuco Jeans of Montreal since the early nineties, extends to Victoria Street and MOD Developments will be generously donating to Massey Hall the portion directly south of Massey, from the backstage area to the back of the Elgin Winter Garden Theatre.
What this gift of additional land permits us to do is now expand Massey Hall, a project we have been working on for years. Numerous studies have been done: planning, architectural, heritage, mechanical — all with the objective of improving operational efficiencies, patron and artists amenities. But until now we were unable to proceed due to the limitations of our existing property.
The “Grand Old Lady of Shuter Street” was built in 1894, a time when the current day’s uses could not have been foreseen. The concert hall, which hosts over 100 public events each year in its 2,753 seat auditorium, has been renovated on several occasions throughout its history. Extensive alterations last took place in 1933 reducing the number of seats from 3500 to 2,753. In 1948, several operational renovations were undertaken rebuilding the stage and adding an annex to the backstage. In the last 60 years, there have been no significant architectural improvements.
With the addition of property behind the Hall, we are now looking forward to addressing the modern day needs of Massey Hall, while protecting the Hall’s concert intimacy so beloved by artists and patrons. We will be sharing news with you about the project as our planning unfolds. Stay tuned!
Heather Clark is Director of Marketing and Development at Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall
DNA. These songs are in all of our DNA. I love the Rubber Soul / Revolver time period. It was like something was rumbling. We knew change was coming and The Beatles lit the flares.
Here’s a quick selection of my 5 favourite songs from Rubber Soul and Revolver. Please note, I could change my mind an hour from now.
NOWHERE MAN The vocal intro freezes you in time. The guitar solo sounds like space travel. John sings like a young man who realizes he’s getting smarter.
PERFORMANCES Jim Gaffigan (Saturday): Jim Gaffigan hits the Massey Hall stage this weekend in what’s sure to be a very funny evening. You may know Gaffigan from his appearances on late night shows with David Letterman and Conan O’Brien but my personal fave was his guest appearance as the loveable, if odd, best friend to Murray on Flight of the Conchords (recall his initial introduction to Murray’s “newly added friends” Bret and Jermaine over barbeque). Check out the embedded video above for some of Gaffigan’s more classic stand-up, this time on the topic of camping from his perspective (he notes that he is “what you would call indoorsy”).
Spencer Wells, Deep Ancestory: Inside The Genographic Project (Monday): The third presentation in this year’s new National Geographic Live series, Spencer Wells is a Population Geneticist who is currently taking it upon himself to create a “detailed, genetically-based map of human migration.” Seriously impressive stuff, right? (Makes your victory dance about the accomplishment of finally cleaning the attic this weekend seem a bit lacklustre, doesn’t it?). You can read all about the project here and learn about how you can participate by doing a cheek swab to “reveal your deep ancestry” here.
JUST ANNOUNCED
We’re thrilled to relay that multi-platinum, Grammy nominated UK band Snow Patrol will perform their first Toronto headline gig in over 3 years when they play at our very own Massey Hall on April 17. The band will be in town to support their new album Fallen Empires which is available from your favourite music retailer beginning today! Tickets for the concert go on sale Friday, January 13 at noon and to FriendsFirst members tomorrow at 10am. Special guest is the fantastic Ed Sheeran. If you haven’t yet heard him, watch “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” or the Rupert Grint approved video for Sheeran’s song “Lego House” here.
WEB WATCH
Speaking of new albums, RollingStone.com recently posted that digital music sales have surpassed physical album sales for the first time in history, making up 50.3% of all music sales in 2011. With that in mind, here is a nice healthy list of new releases we can look forward to in 2012.
Well, 2011 was an interesting year to say the least. A great year to be Canadian. A terrible year to be a dic…tator.
The new mayor of Toronto provided all the fodder a comedian could ask for. The new majority Prime Minister is quick to shun tyrannical leaders (and no one sees the irony in this). The most heated debate in the house of Commons was whether or not to keep the beaver as a national symbol. And we left the Kyoto protocol in our greenhouse gas emissions proving that the new Canadian mantra is “we’re here for a good time, not a long time.” Heck, if Charlie Sheen can get his citizenship, maybe there’s a Senator post for him?
JUST ANNOUNCED
Just yesterday afternoon we announced that comedian Ron “Tater Salad” White will be heading to Massey Hall on April 12, 2012 as part of his Moral Compass Tour. Ron White has been a busy fellow with a New York Times Best Seller, I Had the Right to Remain Silent… But I Didn’t Have the Ability, two Grammy Award nominations, and three of the top-rated one-hour TV specials in Comedy Central’s history. Tickets for FriendsFirst members are on sale today and for the general public on Friday.
PERFORMANCES
In addition to Justin Bieber’s hugely anticipated Home for the Holidays TV special being taped tomorrow at Massey Hall, Toronto’s own The Canadian Tenors bring their own, Home for the Holidays Tour to Roy Thomson Hall for two nights this week (Thursday, December 22 & Friday, December 23): The Canadian Tenors, who were recently called by the Washington Examiner “a perfect partnership of classical and pop,” perform two shows this week in celebration of the festive season. For a taste of the music of which these four gentlemen are capable, check out this CBC Concert on Demand from their 2009 benefit concert in Vancouver for the Bulembu Foundation. The concert included a version of their now-classic take on “Hallelujah” made famous in their performance of the tune on this year’s Emmy Awards. And to get an idea of the Tenors feeling festive, here’s a video for their “O Holy Night.”
PERFORMANCES Preservation Hall Jazz Band: Creole Christmas: (Thursday): Preservation Hall Jazz Band returns to Roy Thomson Hall on Thursday night with their special holiday concert, Creole Christmas. The legendary band is celebrating its 50th anniversary in style in the new year with a special concert at Carnegie Hall featuring the likes of My Morning Jacket, Allen Toussaint, Blind Boys of Alabama, and Mos Def (via Consequence of Sound) – that’s some fine company. Check them out at Roy Thomson Hall this week and also be sure to read this LA Times article on the musical influences of band leader Ben Jaffe.
Toronto Children’s Chorus: A Chorus Christmas – Mystery of the Season (Saturday): An annual tradition at Roy Thomson Hall, the voices of the Toronto Children’s Chorus fill the Hall to the brim with joy this weekend. This year’s concert features the premiere of a Maori song with percussion and special guests True North Brass accompanying the chorus. You can hear (and see) a group of 35 of the 300 singers this Thursday afternoon at 4:20pm when they perform live (and video stream) at The New Classical 96 FM.
JUST ANNOUNCED
Last week we announced two shows coming up in the spring. Blackie and the Rodeo Kings will perform at Massey Hall on Wednesday March 21, 2012 in their show titled, Kings and Queens Live. The show will include appearances from and collaborations with a variety of women (or “Queens”) including Holly Cole, Amy Helm, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Serena Ryder and more. The Rodeo Kings new album, Kings and Queens, released in June 2011 features duets from the likes of Lucinda Williams, Roseanne Cash, Serena Ryder, to name a few. You can stream the tracks on the band’s site.
Also announced last week is a performance from Dala (in celebration of their forthcoming album, Best Day) with special guest Kevin Fox. Dala, comprised of duo Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine, are JUNO Award CONTINUE READING >
PERFORMANCES
Brian Skerry, Ocean Soul: Photographing the Underwater World for National Geographic (Tonight-Tuesday): National Geographic Live returns to Roy Thomson Hall for the second in this series of four speaker events. Canadian photographer Brian Skerry, has spent more than 10,000 hours underwater learning and photo-documenting this mysterious world. Like the last presentation at Roy Thomson Hall from National Geographic (by photographer and filmmaker, Mattias Klum), the evening features prepared remarks and a showcase of the speaker’s work as well a Question and Answer session. Just last month, Boston Magazine had the opportunity to ask some questions and get some answers in this interview – check it out.
Bon Iver (Tonight-Tuesday & Wednesday): Bon Iver, who was just nominated for no less than four Grammy Awards (see Accolades, below) returns to town this week with two shows at Massey Hall. Lianne La Havas also performs on these nights – if you’re one of those do your homework in advance types, check out her website for a snapshot of her lovely music. We’re very much looking forward to a proper introduction (i.e. from the stage of Massey Hall) tonight and tomorrow.
Tori Amos (Thursday): Tori Amos performs at Massey Hall this week and we’re excited to see and hear what she’s been up to with her latest recording, Night of Hunters. You can read all about the project, a bit of a departure from the pop world and into the classical, in this weekend’s Globe and Mail. Rolling Stone has a CONTINUE READING >
I was a longtime fan of the Constantines, a band I went to see lots of times over the last 10 or 12 years. I remember once I climbed down into a volcano in the Canary Islands with their album Shine A Light on my walkman, which I felt was an apt right soundtrack.
I saw Bry play a couple songs solo at a songwriters’ night maybe 8 years ago and was absolutely blown away by the power of the Cons being all the more potent from being delivered so quietly by the one guy. I felt like I was seeing Bruce Springsteen Nebraska or Jeff Buckley, or Dylan, but of my own time. Anyway, that one show of his was a massive influence on me and he’s finally made a solo album.
JUST ANNOUNCED
We have three exciting announcements for you this week in the Buzz! Deep Purple will pay a visit to the Grand Ol’ Lady of Shuter Street on February 12, 2012 as part of their Smoke on the Nation tour. Canoe.ca has the details of the full tour if you won’t be in Toronto, but if you are, tickets go on sale to FriendsFirst members this Thursday and to the public on Saturday.
And we’ve also just announced two shows coming up in March. On March 9 and 10, Jann Arden returns to Massey Hall with friends for two concerts coinciding with the release of her eleventh album, Uncover Me 2. Check out her recent feature chat on CBC Q here (just click on “listen” under the listing for November 18). Then on March 16 funny-man Danny Bhoy hits the Massey Hall stage in a show presented by experts on funny, Just for Laughs. To get yourself ready for the big show, you might check out Danny Bhoy’s DVD from his live show at the Athenaeum which includes his theory on accents in Adelaide or you could check out his full YouTube channel here (fair warning: much of the content is NSFW).
PERFORMANCES Feist (Thursday): The lovely Feist returns to Massey Hall this week in support of her new album Metals and everybody is talking about the special occasion, including the fact that the opening slot features one Bry Webb (former lead singer of indie darlings, Constantines): Chromewaves recently posted a stream of the Constantines/Feist cover of “Islands in the Stream” (alongside the classic Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton version), Exclaim! reports on the special musical relationship the pair have (as well check out the Exclaim TV clip of Bry Webb performing the song “Undertaker”, embedded above), and the National Post features an article about Leslie Feist’s involvement in the creative process with Webb. Looking for some Feist-specific material out there in advance of the gig? Vancouver’s Georgia Straight has a recent interview with Feist about Metals, and don’t forget about her special concert from October at Glenn Gould Studio, available for your listening pleasure at CBC Concerts on Demand.
Soundboard is the official community of musicians, music fans, and friends of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Canada. It’s your behind-the-scenes source for related music news, recommendations, and rewards.
This week Massey Hall was in the headlines with the exciting news of the revitalization of the Theatre Block, the block on Yonge Street, north of Queen that includes Massey Hall and the Elgin Winter Garden Theatre. Toronto developer MOD Developments Inc. announced on Monday the purchase of 197-201 Yonge Street, a 20,000 square foot parcel of land that includes the historically designated CIBC bank building. The land, which has been owned by Parasuco Jeans of Montreal since the early nineties, extends to Victoria Street and MOD Developments will be generously donating to Massey Hall the portion directly south of Massey, from the backstage area to the back of the Elgin Winter Garden Theatre.
