Ottawa Concert Hall Project Moves Forward!
Ottawa, Canada. The Friends of the Concert Hall, a new organization headed by veteran arts presenter, Julian Armour, today announced a campaign to mobilize support to build a world-class Concert Hall for the entire community on the ideally-located legacy site at 150 Elgin Street, in the heart of downtown Ottawa.
The Concert Hall project has previously secured support from the City of Ottawa, the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada. However, last February the Ottawa Chamber Music Society, which was spearheading the project, announced that it was suspending its efforts.
The Hall will be a state of the art 925-seat venue with superb acoustic, aesthetic, production and patron amenities. It will fill a strongly-documented need for performance space for established and emerging talent. It will be a place where all performing arts groups in the Ottawa area can perform their best work, attract new audiences, and attract the attention and support they need, at rates tailored to their means. Country, jazz, choral, blues, folk, chamber music, orchestral, recitals, storytellers, valley-fiddlers, authors, poets, lecturers, writers and many others will be able to use the hall. Users of the Hall will range from youth groups from the Ottawa area to the highest-profile performers on the international scene. As well, the Concert Hall will be an ideal recording venue.
The Concert Hall will be a welcoming entertainment hub close to downtown and Parliament Hill, where tourists and visitors can enjoy the best Ottawa and the world have to offer. It will support festivals and local business, enhance the life of Elgin Street, complement other tourist destinations, and bring talented artists to the city. It will belong to the people of Ottawa. It will be a place for the entire community.
The Friends of the Concert Hall have already taken significant steps. The City has decided that $13 million in previously dedicated municipal and provincial funding will be reserved for a cultural space. The Friends are working closely with Morguard Developments and have their support. They have secured the pro bono legal services of one of Canada’s top law firms, Borden, Ladner, Gervais.
In September, the Friends will roll out a fund-raising, information, and organizational campaign. They will be announcing the Concert Hall Campaign Committee, a series of fund-raising and awareness events, updated budget figures for the Hall and more detailed plans.
During the summer months, the Friends of the Concert Hall will be building a membership base and looking for volunteers. All those who want to join the Friends right away, and contribute financially or as a volunteer, are encouraged to visit the new website where they will find contact information. This website will be updated regularly with further information and plans for both the Concert Hall and the fundraising campaign.
Anyone interested in becoming involved with the Concert Hall can contact the Friends of the Concert Hall at (613) 258-4445 or by visiting their web site at www.theconcerthall.ca or by e-mail at info@theconcerthall.ca
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Contact: Julian Armour
(613) 565-4338
(613) 853-4096 (cell)