Nothing beats the intimacy of a concert in someone’s living room, so the Canadian Music Centre decided that, as part of its many resources, it would turn part of the ground floor into a multi-purpose meeting room and recital hall. Its pièce de résistance is one of Toronto’s finest concert pianos.
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
The new community space, officially unveiled yesterday after a long and extensive renovation of the main floor, is a sleek and modern affair designed by B+H Architects, lined in pale maple. It looks like can seat about 50 people comfortably, and could probably hold more.
Placed in the middle of the room, in front of a redundant fireplace is a 7-foot Steingraeber & Söhne piano (the 212-centimetre-long “chamber music grand”).
You could call the German instrument an extravagance, given that it sells for 50 per cent more than an equivalent New York Steinway, placing the price well above $100,000. But I gather the selection committee was impressed with its sound, touch and flexibility.
I also gather that the CMC is going to be holding concerts in the space to help pay for the instrument.
The room is sized much like the space in which people would have gathered for a salon concert in the 19th century. Thanks to the needs of modern ventilation and plumbing, the ceiling at Chalmers House is a bit lower, though.
It’s a space crying out for an enterprising musician or presenter, especially given that the Canadian Music Centre, for all of its wonderful and dedicated work on behalf of Canadian composers, is horrible at marketing itself. I’m sure that most Torontonians don’t even know this place exists.
Perhaps that can start to change now.
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
