The Francis Winspear Centre for Music is a

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located in the

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Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

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, Canada. Opened in 1997, it is the home of the

Edmonton Symphony Orchestra The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Edmonton, Alberta. As the professional orchestra of Alberta's creative capital city it presents over 85 concerts a year of symphonic music in all genres, from classical to co ...

. The centre is named after Francis G. Winspear, who donated $6 million ($ million today) to the construction of the facility - the single largest private donation to a

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facility in Canadian history.

Construction and specs

In addition to the donation from Winspear, the Canadian federal government and Alberta provincial government contributed an additional $15 million each ($ million each, today) towards its construction. The concert hall has a

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of 1,668 people and when seating is available in the choir loft above the main stage area the hall can hold up to 1,884. The hall is a tall, rectangular room with stepped, curved balconies and terraces. With its parallel side walls, the Winspear represents a modern adaptation of the classic "shoebox" shaped concert halls of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 2002, the Davis Concert Organ was installed at the centre. Launched at a sold-out performance on September 14, 2002, the

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

was built by Orgues Létourneau Limitée of

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. It has 96 stops, 122 ranks, and 6,551 pipes. It is named after Stuart Davis, to acknowledge his generosity and also in memory of his late wife Winona. In 2009, with support from the City, planning began for the expansion and launched a capital campaign in spring of 2020. The Winspear Project is multi-faceted and includes a 41,000 square foot expansion, refresh and renewal of existing spaces, and space to house a YMCA daycare and parkade. As part of the funding strategy, they are engaging the public in a community capital campaign of $17M. The Winspear Project will feature a 550-seat flex-use midsize acoustic hall, childcare centre, underground and surface-level parking, multifunctional spaces, and commercial space. This project will become the home base for the community programming offered through the Tommy Banks Centre and allow increased capacity for programming, outreach, and partnership with sister arts organizations and business partners.

Acoustics

The acoustics of the Winspear are adjustable through the use of velour banners and curtains. These can be used to control the reverberant characteristics for musical events that require a less reverberant environment, or for orchestra rehearsals when the presence of a full audience needs to be approximated. An adjustable canopy system balances the clarity and reverberance of performances, helps control the loudness of the sound, and - in conjunction with the curved acoustic reflectors - assists in cross-stage communication among musicians. Image:Davis_ConcertOrgan.jpg, The Davis Concert Organ Image:WinspearCentre.jpg, The Winspear Centre Performance Chamber

References

External links

* {{Authority control Concert halls in Canada Music venues in Edmonton Buildings and structures completed in 1997 Tourist attractions in Edmonton Music venues completed in 1997 Dialog (architectural firm) buildings 1997 establishments in Alberta Theatres in Edmonton

Construction and specs

Acoustics

See also

References

External links