Koerner Hall: Celebrating 10 Years of the “Temple of Tone”

Published on September 25, 2019

On September 25, 2009, Koerner Hall, named after leading Canadian philanthropists Sonja and Michael M. Koerner, opened with a gala concert that featured performances by the Royal Conservatory Orchestra under Jean-Philippe Tremblay, pianist Anton Kuerti, and Glenn Gould School alumna mezzo-soprano Wallis Giunta.

Koerner Hall was designed by Marianne McKenna of Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg (KPMB) Architects and created as the cornerstone of The Royal Conservatory of Music’s TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning. This 1,135 seat concert hall has hosted more than 2,000 events, including nearly 1,000 concerts, reaching over 1,000,000 individuals in Canada and around the globe. Over the last ten years, it has established a reputation as one of the world’s greatest concert halls and The Royal Conservatory has emerged as one of Canada’s largest and most successful concert presenters.

More than half of all concerts presented by The Royal Conservatory at Koerner Hall have featured Canadian artists, many of whom are emerging performers. The Hall has also become an invaluable training ground for students of The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School and The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists, who benefit from the learning opportunities provided by the Hall’s outstanding acoustics … designed by noted acoustician, Bob Essert.

Said Dr. Peter Simon, Michael and Sonja Koerner President & CEO, “The richly diverse programs offered at Koerner Hall have brought together – and reflect – the broad range of communities in Toronto and the world.  Music has a unique power to connect people at the deepest and most profound level and is therefore of vital importance in creating and building a cohesive society and culture. Ultimately, it is culture that truly determines the success and greatness of a nation.”

An Extraordinary Instrument

In the video below, watch how Koerner Hall’s exceptional Steinway was chosen for the opening of The Royal Conservatory’s internationally acclaimed Hall by Dean Anagnoson, of celebrated piano duo Anagnoson & Kinton, who was involved in the purchase.

Internationally acclaimed artists who have performed at the Hall agree:

"Koerner Hall has to be the best acoustic hall in the world!” — Lang Lang 

“The most lustrous sound, the warmest embrace of any room I’ve been in.” — Meryl Streep

“Everybody in the world is talking about Koerner Hall!”  — Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Visit rcmusic.com/performance to buy tickets to upcoming performances at Koerner Hall or to watch live streams straight from the venue.