Massey Hall
Massey Hall is a performing arts auditorium located within the Garden District in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1894, it is known for its outstanding acoustics and was the long-time hall of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Although originally designed to seat patrons, after extensive renovations in 1933 its capacity was reduced to. Its extensive history includes concerts by many of the most famous artists of the past century and more, across many musical genres, which is a pattern that continues to the present day.
Massey Hall was a gift to the people of Toronto from industrialist Hart Massey. Massey Hall was designated a National Historic Site of Canada on June 15, 1981. The hall closed in July 2018 for a two-year-long renovation and restoration. The project includes a new seven-storey addition incorporating a performance studio and a new concert space, the Allied Music Centre. Massey Hall's re-opening was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic until 2021. The seating capacity of the main hall is currently, and of the Allied Music Centre 500.
It is operated by The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall, a non-profit charitable organization. It is located at the intersection of Shuter and Victoria Streets, just east of Yonge Street, in downtown Toronto.
History
The idea of Massey Music Hall began with Hart Massey, who wanted to build a music hall in order to fill the need for a secular meeting place where people from Toronto and area could meet and enjoy choral music not of a religious theme. Massey also wanted to construct the building in memory of his son Charles, who loved music. Massey also did not want the music hall to make large profits. He wanted both rich and poor to attend events. Ideally, once all expenses were paid, Massey wanted tickets for a season of lectures to sell for $1.The building was designed with a neoclassical facade and features Moorish arches that span the width of the interior hall. This interior was inspired by the Alhambra Palace in Spain as well as Louis Sullivan's Chicago Auditorium. The exterior is Palladian architecture while the interior is Moorish Revival architecture. The exterior neoclassical facade was a preference voiced from Lillian, Hart Massey's daughter. Around the top of the hall are thirty stained glass windows, each depicting a famous composer made by the Faircloth Brothers glass firm. The foyer is finished in Art Deco style.
Designed by architect Sidney Badgley, Massey Hall was completed in 1894 at a cost of. Construction was financed by Massey, the founder of the Massey Manufacturing manufacturing conglomerate. The hall's debut concert was a choral performance of Handel's 'Messiah' on June 14, 1894.
Ten years after the completion of construction, a pair of fire escape staircases were installed along the front face of the building. They were installed to deal with fire concerns of the building. These fire escapes were considered an iconic part of Massey Hall's exterior. At some point in its renovation history, three of the windows at the front of the venue were converted into doors. The doors at the front of the venue were painted red, a giant neon sign was hung above the main entrance, and notice boards listing upcoming acts were revamped on either side of those doors.
The Albert Building, at 15 Shuter Street, was added as a janitorial residence in 1917 and later converted as backstage space. It has since been demolished and replaced by a new addition during the 2010s renovations. It had a unique two-storey oriel window. In 1933, the Massey Foundation undertook further renovations to the hall. The venue simplified its name to Massey Hall at this time. Further renovations occurred in the 1940s.
Sister venue Roy Thomson Hall was known as New Massey Hall during the early planning stages. It was intended to replace Massey Hall as the primary venue for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, although the intention was always for Massey Hall to remain open for other purposes following renovations. Its permanent name as Roy Thomson Hall was announced in January 1982, following a donation from media mogul and philanthropist Roy Thomson.
In 1994, to commemorate the hall's 100th anniversary, the basement was completely refurbished to include Centuries, a fully stocked bar. Prior to this addition, alcohol was not permitted in the hall. The decor of Centuries includes hundreds of photos of artists who have performed there over the years, including many autographs. Centuries has a capacity of 220 people and often hosts CD releases and post-show parties for visiting artists. Roughly five years after Centuries was created, an additional bar in the balcony lounge was added.
In 2013, Massey Hall began a long-awaited major renovation, which included the demolition of the Albert Building and preparing the rear space for construction activities. In July 2018, Massey Hall announced phase two of the renovation, entitled "Massey Hall Forever," which included extensive exterior and interior renovations, expanded stage, a new seven-story addition, two new smaller concert rooms and a new retractable seating system. The new addition is called the Allied Music Centre, located on the site of the Albert Building. It incorporates an artists' lab, studio, lounge and theatre. It was completed in 2022.
Historic designations
In 1973, Toronto City Council designated Massey Hall a Heritage Property under the province's Ontario Heritage Act. Massey Hall was designated a National Historic Site of Canada on June 15, 1981.Notable performers and events
The primary use of the hall has been for musical performances, but the hall has been used for many types of events, including public memorials, speaking tours, and boxing, among others. Many dignitaries have attended the hall since its inauguration. In 1901, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York visited with Canadian Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier. Many prominent choirs, comedians, musicians, musical groups, singers and speakers have appeared on the stage of Massey Hall. The hall was also a prominent location for political speeches before the development of television.Until 1984, the primary performer at the hall was the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, along with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Operatic singers have included Montserrat Caballe, Maria Callas, Enrico Caruso, Luciano Pavarotti and Vladimir Rosing. Classical musicians have included George Gershwin, Glenn Gould, Vladimir Horowitz, and Arturo Toscanini, Jazz musicians and singers have included Oscar Peterson and Billie Holiday.
Popular musicians and singers have included Joni Mitchell, Tears for Fears, Justin Bieber, Cream, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, the Kinks, Rush, Kraftwerk, Lenny Kravitz, Gordon Lightfoot, Yngwie Malmsteen, Golden Earring, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Nightwish, Joe Satriani, Seventeen, Ravi Shankar, Harry Styles, and Kiss.
Lightfoot played the hall over 170 times in his career, the most of any artist, including both the last show in 2018 before it was closed for renovations and the first show after it reopened in 2021.
Speakers at the hall have included William Booth, Winston Churchill, Helen Keller, Thomas Mann and the Dalai Lama. Comics have included Jerry Seinfeld and Russell Peters.
Notable appearances, concerts and related media
In May 1953, Massey Hall was the location of a notable jazz concert put on by five of the genre's most prominent artists of the era: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach. The performance was recorded and released as Jazz at Massey Hall.Neil Young's performance on January 19, 1971, was recorded and later released as a live album, entitled Live at Massey Hall 1971. Young has since performed several times at Massey Hall.
In June 1976, Rush recorded the live album All the World's a Stage here. Max Webster, a Toronto band, opened for Rush and would later headline at the venue in 1977 and 1978, followed by a solo performance by Kim Mitchell, formerly of Max Webster, in 1984.
On January 8, 1995, Ronnie Hawkins celebrated his 60th birthday with a concert at Massey, which was documented on the album Let It Rock. The concert featured performances by Hawkins, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Band and Larry Gowan. Jeff Healey sat in on guitar for most, if not all, of the performances. Hawkins' band, The Hawks, or permutations of it, backed most, if not all, of the acts. All of the musicians performing that night were collectively dubbed "The Rock ‘N’ Roll Orchestra."
The May 2008 performance by Matthew Good at Massey was released as a live album, entitled Live at Massey Hall.
In 2013, folk-rock band Whitehorse made their first appearance at the venue. In conjunction with the concert, the band released the 2013 EP The Road to Massey Hall, comprising covers of songs by other musicians who had played the hall in the past.
In 2015, Canadian rock band Spirit of the West performed at Massey. The preparations for it are profiled in the 2016 documentary film Spirit Unforgettable.
Toronto-born comedian, Russell Peters' April 2016 appearances at Massey Hall, were recorded for his Netflix stand-up special Almost Famous.
For the Juno Awards of 2021, which was performed from a variety of venues across Canada, the surviving members of the Tragically Hip performed their 2002 single "It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken" with Feist on lead vocals, which marked the band's first televised performance since Gord Downie's death.
On February 29, 2024, singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith staged a retrospective concert at the hall to mark his sixtieth birthday.