Roy Thomson Hall is a concert hall in Toronto, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. It is located at 60 Simcoe Street, Toronto, Canada.
This wonderful hall was opened in 1982 and renovated in 2002. The architecuture of the hall is splendid.Its circular architectural design exhibits a sloping and curvilinear glass exterior. Three Canadian architects Arthur Erickson and Mather and Haldenby designed this hall. However, Theodore J. Schultz of Bolt, Beranek and Newman Inc, New York were responsible for its acoustical designing.
It is managed by The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall. The construction of the building began in 1978 with a cost of $43-million.
Its distinctive curvilinear honeycombed glass canopy encases the lobby areas and the 2812-seat spherical auditorium, which is built of reinforced concrete. The auditorium has main floor continental seating for 1095, 9 projecting mezzanine 'pods' with 670 seats, an 11-section, horseshoe-shaped balcony with 928 seats, and 119 non-subscription seats in the choir loft that surrounds the stage. The latter is 24.3 metres wide at the front, 14.7 metres at the back and 11.4 metres deep. In addition there are facilities and spaces for the physically challenged. A large rehearsal hall, green room, dressing rooms, extensive musician support areas and backstage facilities as well as the Corporation offices and the offices, libraries and archives of its two major tenants - the TS and Toronto Mendelssohn Choir - are all located on a lower level. Two floors of underground parking are beneath these facilities.
Pipe Organ is the center piece of the auditorium. It is built by Gabriel Kney, with assistance in its tonal design from Andrew Davis and Hugh McLean. It has four manuals, a pedal keyboard, 71 stops, and 5207 pipes. There are two consoles: the fixed gallery keyboard which controls the organ's mechanical tracker action; and a moveable electronic keyboard for use at stage level.
The acoustics in RTH are controlled by adjustable reflective acrylic discs, suspended over the stage area, and by retractable fabric banners. Modifications and adjustments have been made in the acoustic design as the sound idiosyncrasies, inevitable in a new hall, have been revealed during actual use, and by the needs of its users.
It has been the site of festivals, trade shows, royal galas, centennial celebrations, pop, rock, and jazz concerts, YMC Cushion Concerts, art shows, and social events, in addition to the concerts presented by the TS and the Mendelssohn Choir.
The concert hall was used in scenes of the film X-Men.The hall is also one of the main venues used by the Toronto International Film Festival, with many gala screenings held there each year.
Edward A. Pickering was the chairman of the Massey Hall board in 1972. He was the main figure in the realization of a new concert hall for Toronto. He remained as president of the Corporation and chairman of the board till 1988. He was succeeded by John B. Lawson.
Roy Thomson Hall has the distinction of operating independent of any direct government subsidy.
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