For immediate release: March 6, 2008
CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY COMPLETES CAPITAL CAMPAIGN TO BUILD THE FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Toronto, ON The Canadian Opera Company (COC) is very proud to announce the completion of the Capital Campaign to build the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Canadas new opera house. The campaign, which began in the early summer of 2002, raised $186 million, which included a final cash goal of $155 million and the gift of the land from the Province of Ontario valued at $31 million.
A recent $5 million personal gift from Toronto philanthropists Isadore and Rosalie Sharp effectively completed the campaign. In recognition of their support, the main lobby of the Four Seasons Centre will now be known as the Isadore & Rosalie Sharp City Room. As Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Mr. Sharp was also instrumental in the campaign securing $20 million in June 2002 to name the opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
The campaign received many other lead gifts in the last few months that pushed it to its conclusion. Significant contributions came from Gerald and Geraldine Heffernan, Arthur and Susan Scace, Peter and Shelagh Godsoe, The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation, Xstrata, Tim and Frances Price, Rudy and Cathy Bratty, Tony and Anne Arrell, and Paul A. Bernards. These gifts, as well as several others, represented an additional $5 million for the campaign.
Twenty-nine individuals, corporations and foundations donated over $1 million each to the campaign, with the COC Board contributing a combined total of over $22 million. (See attached donor list.) In all, over 5,500 individuals, corporations and foundations contributed to the campaign.
On behalf of the Campaign Cabinet and the Canadian Opera House Corporation, I am extremely proud that our campaign was completed successfully and in a timely fashion, says Arthur R. A. Scace, Co-chair of the Campaign Cabinet. Along with my fellow Co-chairs Peter Godsoe and Gerald Heffernan, I would like to thank the members of the cabinet, all of our donors, as well as the campaign staff, who worked diligently to make this dream possible.
David Ferguson, President of the COC Board adds, The Canadian Opera Company is enormously grateful for the thousands of donations that contributed to the completion of our campaign. Everyone who participated should be proud of their accomplishment and the knowledge that they helped build the first real opera house in this country, and one of the best in the world.
Final campaign costs to build the Four Seasons Centre totalled $186 million less than 3% over the projected budget of $181 million (including a cash goal of $150 million and the value of the land at $31 million) which was created in 2002. The modest overage was due mainly to some changes to the original design materials, the construction of the TTC entrance and increased interest rates.
The Capital Campaign began May 31, 2002 with the announcement of joint Federal / Provincial capital funding under the Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program, at which the Federal government donated $25 million and the Province donated the land valued at $31 million. Three weeks later Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts donated $20 million as the naming donor of the building.
Groundbreaking took place on April 11, 2003 along with an announcement of a $10 million gift from The Fraser Elliott Foundation to name the auditorium, and $13 million from the COC Board. Twenty leadership gifts totalling $35 million were announced in January of 2005 including $7 million from The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation and E. Louise Morgan. In March 2006 The Honourable Henry N. R. Jackman donated $5 million to name the lounge on Queen Street, and the Province of Ontario contributed a further $10 million in cash towards the campaign.
Inaugural celebrations for the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts took place in June, 2006, including a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 11, 2006 and a Gala Inaugural Concert on June 14, 2006 which was simulcast into Nathan Philips Square as a free performance. The first opera was performed in September 2006 with the COCs historic and acclaimed production of Richard Wagners monumental Ring Cycle. Designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc., the Four Seasons Centre has been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike for its superb acoustics and sightlines and is already generally acknowledged as one of the best opera houses in the world. The COC performed to 99% capacity in its inaugural 2006/07 season.
About the Canadian Opera Company
Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America, and has an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation. The COC currently enjoys a remarkable 99% attendance rate for its mainstage season of seven operas. The companys new home, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, was designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc. and is Canadas first purpose-built opera house. The contemporary expression of a traditional five-tiered, European horseshoe-shaped auditorium was specifically designed for opera with the highest level of acoustics in mind and provides unparalleled intimacy between the audience and the stage. Acclaimed as one of the best opera houses in the world, the
Four Seasons Centre is also the performance venue for The National Ballet of Canada.
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Media contact:
Claudine Domingue, Dir. of Public Relations, tel: 416-306-2387, fax: 416-363-5584, claudined@coc.ca
Melissa Than, Publicist, tel: 416-306-2369, fax: 416-363-5584, melissat@coc.ca
March 6, 2008
DONOR LIST FOR CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE
FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
The Canadian Opera Company gratefully acknowledges the generosity of the following donors
whose outstanding support has been integral to this campaign to build the Four Seasons Centre
for the Performing Arts.
$20,000,000
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
$10,000,000
The Fraser Elliott Foundation
$5,000,000 - $9,999,999
Hon. Henry N. R. Jackman
The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation
Isadore & Rosalie Sharp
Anonymous
$1,000,000 - $4,999,999
Tony & Anne Arrell
John & Claudine Bailey
CIBC
Gerard & Earlaine Collins
Leslie & Anna Dan
George & Katherine Dembroski
Peter & Shelagh Godsoe
Milton Harris, Founder of Harris Steel Group
Jackman Foundation
Arthur & Sonia Labatt
Masonite International Corporation
Judy & Wilmot Matthews
Roger D. Moore
E. Louise Morgan
Tim & Frances Price
RBC Foundation
The Rotman Family
Arthur & Susan Scace
Scotiabank Group
Joey & Toby Tanenbaum
Jack Whiteside
Xstrata
Anonymous
$500,000 - $999,999
Paul A. Bernards
The J. P. Bickell Foundation
The Black Family Foundation
BMO Financial Group
Canadian Opera Volunteer Committee
Joe & Laurissa Canavan
Mr. Philip C. Deck & Ms. Kimberley M. Bozak
Kevin & Roger Garland
William A. & Nona Macdonald Heaslip
The Patrick & Barbara Keenan Family
Michael & Sonja Koerner
Margaret & Wallace McCain Family Foundation
In memory of John & Ruth McCarthy
Peter & Dolores Naylor
Colleen Sexsmith
Budd Sugarman Foundation
TD Bank Financial Group
Vale Inco Limited
$250,000 - $499,999
Philip & Linda Armstrong
Barrick Heart of Gold Fund
Rudy & Cathy Bratty
The Brookfield Group
CanWest Global Communications Corp.
J. Rob Collins
The Families of Alfredo, Angelo & Antonio DeGasperis
John A. Cook
Power Corporation of Canada
Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan
George A. Fierheller
Donald K. Johnson & Anna McCowan Johnson
Douglas L. Ludwig & Karen J. Rice
Gordon & Bobby MacNeill
The R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation
Donald O'Born & Jane Harvey
Sandra & Jim Pitblado
Jean Davidson & Paul Spafford
C. Alexander & Kim Squires
Staff & Artists of the Canadian Opera Company
W. Garfield Weston Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. L.R. Wilson
Anonymous
$100,000 - $249,999
Carole & Kym Anthony
Mark & Gail Appel
Marilyn & Charles Baillie
James C. Baillie
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Lawrence & Frances Bloomberg
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Walter M. & Lisa Balfour Bowen
David G. Broadhurst
Margaret & Derek Brown
Sharon & Howard Campbell
Walter Carsen, OC
The Chalmers Family
CHC Helicopter Corporation
June & Ian Cockwell
Sydney & Florence Cooper and Family
Irene Pump-Croot & Keith Croot
John & Ruth Crow
Elaine & Michael Davies
Ruth Eileen Day
Deloitte.
Jill Denham & Stephen Marshall
Mr. & Mrs. A. Ephraim Diamond
In memory of Ilona Diener
James Doak & Patricia Best
John & Vera Elder
Glen Erikson
Ernst & Young
John & Gay Evans
Anna-Liisa & Graham Farquharson
Catherine G. Fauquier
Anthony & Shari Fell
David & Kristin Ferguson
Fidelity Investments through the Fidelity Foundation
Margaret & Jim Fleck
Lloyd & Gladys Fogler
Margaret & David Fountain
The George & Helen Gardiner Foundation
Irving & Gail Gerstein
The Honourable Alastair & Diana Gillespie
The Ned Goodman Family
Dr. Nolle Grace & The Shohet Family
Ronald & Birgitte Granofsky
The Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin Charitable Foundation
Douglas & Ruth Grant
John & Judith Grant
James & Joyce Gutmann
George & Irene Hamilton
Hampton Securities Limited
The Hayes Larock Family
The Audrey S. Hellyer Charitable Foundation
Richard & Donna Holbrook
Drs. Walter, Virginia & Walter Joseph Hryshko
Ian O. Ihnatowycz & Marta A. Witer
Imperial Oil
Ronald Kimel & Vanessa LaPerriere
Hermann & Ellen Kircher
J. Hans Kluge
Robin Korthals & Janet Charlton
KPMG Foundation
John B. Lawson
Jack & Catherine Leitch
Wilfred & Anne Lewitt
In honour of Alice Lieberman
Manulife Financial
McCarthy Ttrault LLP
The McLean Foundation
John & Esther McNeil
Trina & Don McQueen
Ted & Julie Medland
The Menkes Family
Melanie Whitehead Mersch
Bruce & Vladka Mitchell
Delia M. Moog
In memory of Clive Bennett Mortimer
National Bank Financial
Christl & Karl Niemuller
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Panasonic Canada Inc.
Peter M. Partridge
PCL Constructors Canada Inc.
The Peterson Family Charitable Foundation
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Rosetta Raso
David Roffey & Karen Walsh
Ted & Loretta Rogers
Richard Rooney & Laura Dinner
Esther & Sam Sarick
William & Meredith Saunderson
Gerald Schwartz & Heather Reisman
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Sherrin
Victor & Rhoda Shields
Ada Slaight
Sobeys
David E. Spiro
Steve & Sally Stavro Family Foundation
Sun Life Financial
John & Liz Tory
TSX Group Inc.
Peter & Teresa van Schaik
Kris Vikmanis & Denny Creighton
Joseph Vitale Family
Judith R. Wilder & William P. Wilder
Alfred G. Wirth
In memory of C. Robin Younger
Sharon Zuckerman
The Helen & Walter Zwig Family Foundation
Anonymous (3)
$50,000 - $99,999
Clive & Barbara Allen
In memory of E. G. (Gib) Bauman
Ralph M. Barford Foundation
Jalynn H. Bennett
E.W. Bickle Foundation
The Black Brigade
Rob & Teresa Brouwer
Stewart & Gina Burton
George & Martha Butterfield
Dr. John H.C. Chiu & Mrs. Yvonne Chiu, C.M.
CIBC Mellon
John & Anne Clark
Max & Madeleine Clarkson
Camilla & Peter Dalglish
Jonathan & Katharine Davidson
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Michael & Honor de Pencier
Alexandra & Camillo di Prata
The W. Robert Farquharson Family
Fraser & Margot Fell
Hugh Furneaux & Penny Fine
Blake C. Goldring
Goodmans LLP
Michael & Anne Gough
Dan Hagler & Family
Thomas & Jacqueline Haig
William & Patricia Harris
Local 58 International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
In appreciation of Inta Kierans
Diane M. & James F. King
Dr. Elizabeth Kocmur
Kolter Property Company Inc.
Gurney Kranz
David Leith & Jacqueline Spayne
Marjorie & Roy Linden
Angelo & Grace Locilento
Sheila & Syd Loftus Family
Jerry & Joan Lozinski
Mr. James S.A. MacDonald & Mrs. Danielle L. MacDonald
The McColl-Early Foundation
John A. McVicker & Bruce W. Thomas
The Mendelson Family Foundation
FRANCO MIRABELLI DESIGN INC.
John & Penny Pepperell
Georgia Prassas
Karen & James Prieur
Samuel A. Rea & Wendy J. Thompson
Rob & Penny Richards
Dr. Ralph Shaw & June Shaw
Philip & Maria Smith
Matthew Swarney & Laura Shuttleworth
Richard & Heather Thomson
Marc Ton-That & Denise Dubeau
William & Phyllis Waters
The Waugh Family
Tom & Ruth Woods
Richard & Suzan Wookey
John & Mary A. Yaremko
George M. Youssef & Susan E. Warren
Anonymous (3)
$25,000 - $49,999
Gary J. Adamson
Dr. Larry M. Agranove
Lillias Cringan Allward
Jamie & Patsy Anderson
Bram & Bluma Appel
Anne-Marie H. Applin & Michael R. Applin and Family
Richard J. Balfour
Robert Bandeen O.C. & Mona Bandeen C.M.
Schuyler F.E. Bankes & Family
Torunn & David Banks
Lorne & Rosemary Barclay
Karen & Bill Barnett
Dr. Frank E. Bartoszek & Daniel P. O'Brien
Alice & Tom Bastedo
Roland & Marie Bertin
Nani and Austin Beutel
Margo H. Bindhardt & Klaus D. Bindhardt
Black & McDonald
Elizabeth Stewart Black & James A. Black
Mr. Robert Blake & Mrs. Susanne White-Blake
Dr. Michael Braudo
Angelo & Elizabeth Breda
David & Constance Briant
Janet M. Roscoe
Donna Brock
Roel C. Buck & Family
Alice & Grant Burton
Thomas J. Burton
H. C. Carmichael
D. S. Celotti & Family
Chair-man Mills. Inc.
Frank & Irene Chau
Dean C. Noack & Paul G. Cherry
Frank & Jennie Ciccolini
Dorota & Greg Cidylo
Linda Haynes & Martin Connell
Murray & Katherine Corlett
Bea & Purdy Crawford
Brian J. Dawson
Louise & Bill Dimma
Steven D. Donohoe
Francine & Bernard Dorval
In memory of Arthur Wesley Downe
The Duboc Family
Vreni & Marc Ducommun
Stanley & Genia Elkind
Joseph Fantl & Moira Bartram
William Fearn & Claudia Rogers
Rupert & Lindsay Field-Marsham
M. Patricia Fischer
David & Elizabeth Forster
Robert & Julia Foster
Dr. Manfred Frenkel
Andy & Wanda Giancamilli
Mary & Lionel Goffart
The Hon. William C. Graham & Mrs. Catherine Graham
Henry & Manuela Hackenspiel
S.R. Harcourt Vernon
Dr. W. P. Hayman & Dr. M. L. Myers
Mrs. Mary Campbell Hecht
Mr. & Mrs. W. Lawrence Heisey
Jacques & Elizabeth Helbronner
Tom Higgins
In memory of Eva M. Haddad
The Patrick Hodgson Family Foundation
Richard & Martha Hogarth
Roy Hogg & Ann Jervis
Michiel Horn & Cornelia Schuh
John & Daisy Hort
Susan Crocker & John Hunkin
Hurley Corporation
Michael & Linda Hutcheon
Imperial Tobacco Canada Foundation
The Charles H. Ivey Foundation
Dr. Peter Janetos
The Jarislowsky Foundation
Dr. Laurence D. Jewell
Dr. Josh Josephson & Family
Bernhard & Hannelore Kaeser
May & Fred Karp
Elaine & Jimmy Kay
Sheryl & David Kerr
Joseph Kerzner & Lisa Koeper
Richard J. Kostoff
The S. E. Lam Family Foundation
Elizabeth & Goulding Lambert
Marion Lambert
Hon. Justice Dennis Lane & Sandra Lane
Harold & Larraine Langer
Guild Electric Limited
Joy Levine
Michelle & Michael Levy Family Foundation
Colleen and Bill Lindley & Elizabeth Lindley
Robert & Jean Liss
London Opera Guild
Amy & John Macfarlane
Mr. Jed MacKay
Peter F. MacKenzie
The Honourable Barbara J. McDougall
Nancy & John McFadyen
Paul & Jean McGrath
Joyce & Darcy McKeough
McMillan Binch Mendelsohn LLP
Mark & Andrea McQueen and Family
Mary Mogford & Tom Campbell
Alice J. Morgan
Rosalind Morrow
Nancy & Larry Murray
Dr. John & Pamela Newall
Janet & Gordon Nixon
Dorothy Novotny-Brandenburg
Lilly Offenbach Strauss & Nathan Strauss Q.C.
Joyce & Benson Orenstein
Steven Page
Ralph Palmisano & Family
Dr. & Mrs. William M. Park
Douglas L. Parker
Roger & Maureen Parkinson
Riki Turofsky & Charles Petersen
In memory of Edwin J. & Charlotte Pivnick
Polaris Realty
Mary Jean & Frank Potter
Margrit & Tony Rahilly
Carol & Morton Rapp
Kenneth F. Read & Gilles Longchamps
In memory of Robert Leonard Richard
Carolyn Ricketts
In memory of Barbara Anne Robertson
Sidney Robinson & Linda Currie
Dr. Michael & Mary Romeo
Barrie Rose & Family
Gretchen & Donald Ross
Helen & Kenneth Rotenberg
Maxwell L. Rotstein & Nancy-Gay Rotstein
Mrs. Monina & Miss Christine Rudin
Cookie & Stephen Sandler
Judy & Hy Sarick
In honour of Bernice & Percy Saxe
Katalin Schfer
Jean Nathanson Shawn
Sandra Simpson
Andrew Smith & Dr. Ruth Bothern
Judy & Hume Smith
Stephen & Jane Smith
Dr. Joseph K. So
Ellen & John Spears
Colin McGregor Mailer & David Stanley-Porter
Stantec Consulting Ltd.
The Stratton Trust
Franoise Sutton
Carol Swallow
Kathryn J. Thornton
Marvin & Esther Tile
The Tinnerman Family
David & Diana Trent
Mr. & Mrs. Henry & Ann Louise Vehovec
Carol Mitchell & Richard Venn
Gary Smith Klein & Joan Wakely
Diane Walker & Robert Bell
Margaret J. Walter & Donald P. Walter
Philip & Diana Weinstein
George Whalen
Florence & Mickey Winberg
The Rose & Ray Wolfe Family Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. Marvin Yontef
Wilf & Helen Ziegler
Adam Zimmerman
Susan Zorzi
Anonymous (3)
Government Support:
The Canadian Opera Company gratefully acknowledges the Government of Canada and the government of Ontario for their support of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. | | La Compagnie dopra canadienne remercie le gouvernement du Canada et le gouvernement de lOntario de leur appui accord au Centre des arts du spectacle Four Seasons. |
A complete list of all donors will be available at a later date.