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One Could Do Worse Than Dame Joan

3/20/2012

2 Comments

 
Picture
Is this the best we can do?
Now here’s a subject I’ve ranted about before, and will probably rant about again: the naming of concert halls.

We read, via the ever-informative Norman Lebrecht, that the Sydney Opera House’s main auditorium will be renamed in honour of the celebrated Australian soprano Joan Sutherland. Our correspondent is livid about this, pointing out that the hall is a klunker and unworthy of the Great Dame’s name. (You can find his outrage here.)


For what it’s worth, I can assure Mr. Lebrecht that such a thing could never happen in Canada.

It’s not because we build better halls, or because we are more circumspect when splashing around the names of famous artists. It’s because, these days, we only name concert halls after rich people or corporations contributing towards the construction costs.


Looking around Toronto, I see Roy Thomson Hall, Koerner Hall, George Weston Hall, the Four Seasons Centre and the Sony Centre, among others. These are not named for artistic, cultural, political or social leaders – they are named after people and corporations who simply bought the naming rights. (A glaring exception is the Glenn Gould Studio at the CBC. While there are ironies attached to naming a concert hall after a performer who shunned them like the plague, it’s still a better idea than simply offering up the name as a saleable commodity.)

And it should, I think, be noted that all of the above donors only partially funded the halls that bear their names. Back in the good old days, when Andrew Carnegie or the Massey family (in Toronto) wanted to put their names on public buildings, they had to pay the whole bill out of their own pockets. Under the current arrangement, the taxpayer usually pays the lion’s share of the costs. Then some self-aggrandizing donor steps up, gives a small percentage, and gets all the glory.

A few months ago, I took a trip to London, Ontario, to the University of Western Ontario. Upon arrival at my old alma mater, I discovered that the Faculty of Music is now named in honour of Don Wright. Finland has the Sibelius Academy, Hungary has the Liszt Academy, Britain has the Purcell School of Music – and we have the Don Wright Faculty of Music. So who the heck is Don Wright? A prominent Canadian composer, performer, pedagogue or musical scholar? The UWO’s website identifies him only as “a philanthropist.” 

Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for thanking donors. But there are other ways to thank them that don’t involve naming a hall or building after them. The names of public buildings should be reserved for public figures whose contributions to Canadian society have made them worthy of memorializing.

Why do we cheapen ourselves so? And what’s next – an annual auction of the Order of Canada to the highest bidder?

© Colin Eatock 2012
2 Comments
Joseph So
3/20/2012 07:12:18 am

Fascinating article! While it's true that in recent years, concert halls have been named after donors (and as your pointed out, Glenn Gould Studio being an exception), it wasn't always the case in the past. I can think of the Ettore Mazzoleni Hall at the Royal Conservatory, named after the conductor and teacher at RCM; MacMillan Theatre at the Edward Johnson Building, named after Sir Ernest; Salle Wilfrid Pelletier at Montreal's Place des Arts, another conductor. And let's not forget Walter Hall, after musicologist and teacher Arnold Walter. Wilfrid Laurier University named a recital hall in 1994 after Maureen Forrester. But I do agree - there aren't any recent examples that come to mind, with the exception of the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, which frankly isn't such a grand artifice. Hopefully someday there'll be venues named after the greats, like Jon Vickers, Teresa Stratas, and Louis Quilico...

Reply
Norm
3/21/2012 03:53:12 am

You forgot to say that Edward Johnson was a singer! He sang at the Met!! I agree with the overall sentiment though. Some very good points.

Reply



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    Eatock Daily

    I'm a composer based in Toronto – and this is my classical music blog, Eatock Daily.

    When I first started blogging, Eatock Daily was a place to re-post the articles I wrote for Toronto’s Globe and Mail and National Post newspapers, the Houston Chronicle, the Kansas City Star and other publications.

    But now I have stepped back from professional music journalism, and I'm spending more time composing.

    These days, my blog posts are infrequent, and are mostly concerned with my own music. However, I do still occasionally post comments on musical topics, including works I've discovered, enjoyed, and wish to share with others.


    – CE

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