Roy Thomson Hall History
1960’s – 1980’s

Roy Thomson Hall opened in the fall of 1982 and has since hosted hundreds of world-renowned artists and performers over the years. We highlight the milestones below.

1967
Edward Pickering, President of the Toronto Symphony, and Hugh Lawson, Chairman, Massey Hall Board of Trustees, announce plans to build a new concert hall.

1977
Captains of Canadian industry are recruited to help raise $10 million for the new hall, the largest cultural campaign in Canada. Four Honourary Chairmen are named: Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Premier William Davis, Metro Chairman Paul Godfrey, and Mayor David Crombie.

September 26, 1978
Lieutenant-Governor Pauline McGibbon climbs into the cab of a giant construction shovel to break ground for construction on the New Massey Hall, situated on a 2.5 acre site at King and Simcoe Streets. The architects are Arthur Erickson and Mather and Haldenby. Violinist Itzhak Perlman acts as a special advisor to the architects to ensure accessibility at all levels for disabled performers and patrons.

1981
Final construction funding is obtained from the three levels of government, corporations, foundations and through a public seat endowment program where every music lover is asked to buy a seat for $1,000. Total price tag of the new hall: $57 million

January 14, 1982
The Board of Trustees announces that the name of the new concert hall will be Roy Thomson Hall, thanks to the $4.5 million donation from the family of the late Roy Thomson.

September 13, 1982
Roy Thomson Hall's inaugural gala concert is with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.

September 14-18, 1982
Opening celebrations continue with performances by Lois Marshall, Anne Murray, Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian Opera Company, Karen Kain and Frank Augustyn, the Canadian Brass, Toronto Consort and the Canadian Children's Opera Chorus.

1982/83
Lovers of singing hear vocal superstars Janet Baker, Kiri Te Kanawa, Elly Ameling, Leontyne Price, Nicolai Gedda, Jessye Norman, and Maureen Forrester. The Hall gains a national profile on CBC Stereo's "Roy Thomson Hall Presents" every Sunday afternoon, broadcasting 35 concerts nationally, to an audience equal to Canadian listeners of the popular Metropolitan Opera broadcasts.

June 30, 1984
Following significant financial losses, President Edward Pickering announces changes in programming -- a more diverse and cosmopolitan season from classical and jazz to pop, world music and dance in order to broaden the audience.

October 31, 1984
HRH Queen Elizabeth II visits the Hall and attends a Royal Gala performance of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

March 8, 1985
The Hall is centre stage for the International Bach Competition and Bach 300 Festival -- a festival celebrating 300 years since Johann Sebastian Bach's birth. Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt wins 1st prize and earns a Deutsche Grammophon recording contract and a year of concert engagements around the world.

March 9, 1987
Walter Homburger, Managing Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for 25 years is given a huge farewell concert entitled "The Great Gathering". The "greats" included Isaac Stern, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Yo-Yo Ma, Seiji Ozawa, Itzhak Perlman, Maureen Forrester, Pinchas Zuckerman and the "gathering" raise $2.3 million for the TSO Endowment Fund.

June 21, 1988
The Closing Ceremonies of the International Economic Summit take place at the Hall with the G7 leaders in attendance.

October 30, 1988
71 year-old Leonard Bernstein conducts the Vienna Philharmonic as part of The Great Orchestra Series. It would be his one and only Roy Thomson Hall appearance; he dies two years later.