Roy Thomson Hall facts for kids
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| Address | 60 Simcoe Street |
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| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°38′48″N 79°23′11″W / 43.646615°N 79.386443°W |
| Owner | The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall |
| Capacity | 2,630 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1982 |
| Architect | Arthur Erickson |
| Tenants | |
| Toronto Symphony Orchestra Toronto Defiant (OWL) |
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Roy Thomson Hall is a famous concert hall in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the city's entertainment district. This hall is home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and the Toronto Defiant esports team. It first opened in 1982. Its round design features a sloped, curved glass outside.
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About Roy Thomson Hall
The hall can seat 2,630 people. It has a large pipe organ built by Canadian organ maker Gabriel Kney. He is from London, Ontario.
Design and Features
The building was designed by Canadian architect Arthur Erickson. He worked with Mathers and Haldenby. A famous violinist, Itzhak Perlman, helped the architects. He gave advice on how to make the hall easy to use for performers and guests with disabilities.
Arthur Erickson believed the grey building itself was like a container. He wanted people to fill it with their own decorations and energy. The pond outside the hall was originally planned to be a skating rink in winter. Erickson's travels in Japan and his connection with North American Aboriginal cultures influenced his design.
A Special Name
During its building phase, the hall was called "The New Massey Hall". It got its official name, Roy Thomson Hall, on January 14, 1982. This was to thank the family of Roy Thomson. He was the founder of a large publishing company called Thomson Corporation. His family donated C$4.5 million. This money helped finish raising funds for the new hall.
Improving the Sound
The hall was updated over six months in 2002. This happened after musicians had complained for years about the sound quality inside. This process helped make the hall's acoustics much better. Acoustics is how sound travels and bounces in a room.
Famous Events and Appearances
Roy Thomson Hall is a main location for the Toronto International Film Festival. Many big movie premieres happen there each year. It also hosts the festival's closing screening. This screening shows the movie that wins the People's Choice Award.
The concert hall has also appeared in movies and TV shows. It was used in scenes for the 2000 film X-Men. The science fiction TV series The Expanse used it as the setting for the United Nations headquarters. The Amazon series The Boys also used the hall. It was the bottom part of the digitally created Vought Headquarters tower.
The hall was also the place for the state funeral of Jack Layton on August 27, 2011. Jack Layton was a Canadian politician. He was the leader of the NDP and the Leader of the Official Opposition. This means he led the main party that was not in power in Canada's government.
See also
- List of music venues in Toronto
