Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Canada's first purpose-built opera house, home of the Canadian Opera Company and National Ballet
The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts opened in June 2006 as the first building in Canada designed specifically for opera and ballet. It stands at the south-east corner of University Avenue and Queen Street West, opposite Osgoode Hall, on land given by the province. The Canadian Opera Company, which had performed for decades in converted halls, is the resident company and owner; the National Ballet of Canada is the other principal tenant, and both use the 2,071-seat R. Fraser Elliott Hall.
Jack Diamond's design places the horseshoe-shaped auditorium in an acoustically isolated concrete box, separated from the subway tunnel below by rubber pads, while the public rooms face the street behind a plain glass screen. The double-height City Room is crossed by a self-supporting glass staircase suspended from the roof, visible from the pavement outside. The auditorium is lined in Douglas fir and finished in dark colours so that attention falls on the stage; the orchestra pit can hold around a hundred players.
Highlights
- Self-supporting glass staircase in the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room
- Horseshoe auditorium of 2,071 seats lined in Douglas fir
- Acoustically isolated concrete box insulated from the subway below
- Free midday concerts in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre
