Canadian Opera Company - Four Seasons Centre
Inaugurated in 2006, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is the first building of its kind in Canada; a theatre built specifically for opera and ballet performances with the finest level of acoustics.
Full, rear and side stages, along with generous dressing rooms and wardrobe storage allow three complete productions to play in repertory. A large, flexible orchestra pit allows for the presentation of the full range of operatic repertoire, from chamber pieces by Mozart and Handel, to some of the monumental 19th- and 20th-century works, such as Wagner’s Ring Cycle, which require an orchestra of over 100 musicians.
Designed by the award-winning Toronto-based firm Diamond Schmitt Architects, the Four Seasons Centre is the permanent home of the Canadian Opera Company and the performance venue for The National Ballet of Canada.
Fact Sheet
The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is located in the heart of downtown Toronto on a 1.7-acre block at the southeast corner of Queen Street West and University Avenue.
- The total area of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is 35,716 m².
- There are 103 washrooms (one fixture per 20 people), two-thirds of which are for women (65 female/38 male) and three unisex washrooms for the disabled.
- There are designated wheelchair seating locations throughout the auditorium except on Ring 5.
- There is direct access to the Osgoode subway station on the Yonge/University transit line.
- There is parking for approximately 200 vehicles underneath the building and additional parking is just steps away at the GREEN P lot under Nathan Phillips Square. For directions, visit www.greenp.com.
- There are three elevators in the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room that serve the auditorium and two elevators to carry passengers from the parking garage to the main entrance.
Rooms
ISADORE AND ROSALIE SHARP CITY ROOM
The Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room is the glass-enclosed main lobby of the Four Seasons Centre. It enjoys a special relationship with the city that surrounds it, reflecting the open and inclusive nature of the building.
The City Room was designed to take advantage of a shared experience with the outdoors. The specially manufactured low-iron glass walls allow daylight or the evening glow to add to the mood of the room.
HENRY N. R. JACKMAN LOUNGE
The Grand Ring level features the Henry N. R. Jackman Lounge. This room offers a stunning view over the gardens of Osgoode Hall through a two-storey glass wall. It also features washrooms, coat room, a private bar and lounge area for members of the President's Council.
RICHARD BRADSHAW AMPHITHEATRE
The Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre is a focal point of the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room, with its windowed wall allowing for natural lighting and a view of University Avenue.
Linking Rings 3 and 4, the amphitheatre provides seating for 100 patrons to enjoy pre-performance talks, informal concerts and other events. Additional seating and standing locations give this space even more functionality.
GLASS STAIRCASE & SUSPENDED BRIDGES
Spanning from the Grand Ring to Ring 4, the glass staircase provides easy access to the upper levels of the Four Seasons Centre and allows patrons to enjoy a panoramic view of the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room.
Suspended bridges overlook the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre and the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room, providing gathering places for audience members to listen to pre-performance chats and mingle with others.
LOWER LOBBY
The Lower Lobby is located on the lowest level of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. It can be accessed by stairways located on either side of the doors to the auditorium, or by elevators on the south side of the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room.
Washrooms servicing the Orchestra Level are located on either side of the south elevators. The coat check and Patron Services are also located on this level.
R. FRASER ELLIOTT HALL
The multi-tiered balconies and horseshoe shape of the auditorium are based on the design of the best European opera houses—to showcase the glory of the human voice, the richness of a full orchestra, and to provide the overwhelming sense of a collective experience.
ORCHESTRA LEVEL
The Orchestra Level is on the same level as the main entry to the building and Box Office, and for patrons, their first view of the spectacular Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room.
Three large elevators carry patrons to each Ring, with the elevators on the south side of the building also descending to the Lower Lobby. The Grand Staircase starts on this level and ascends to the Grand Ring. This level features a centrally located bar, the COC's interactive wall, lounge areas, and a rehearsal hall.
Within R. Fraser Elliott Hall, the Orchestra Level has the largest capacity of seating: 20 rows on the orchestra floor, and five more in the Orchestra Ring (the elevated seats along the sides and rear of the Orchestra Level). There is both wheelchair-accessible and transfer-arm seating. Loose seating is featured along the horseshoe sides.
GRAND RING
The Grand Ring is accessible by one of three large elevators, or by a gentle promenade up the majestic Grand Staircase. It is home to 21 boxes, a lounge area, bar, a private lounge accessible to members of The President’s Council, and washrooms on the south side. This level also marks the starting point of the translucent Glass Staircase, which elegantly rises to Ring 3 and Ring 4
The Grand Ring offers an unparalleled opera and ballet experience and is comprised of boxes of two, six, eight or 12 assigned seats in either one, two or three rows, with the following features:
- loose seats that can be arranged to each patron’s liking
- 13 central boxes equipped with their own private vestibules where patrons may hang their coats.
- individual sound and light locks. For opera and ballet performances, the boxes are the only seating locations where patrons are permitted to enter or exit at their own discretion
- several wheelchair-accessible boxes
- close proximity to the Henry N. R. Jackman Lounge, a private lounge accessible exclusively to the COC’s sponsors and individual donors at the President’s Council level.
RING 3
Accessible from the Glass Staircase, elevators and other stairways, Ring 3 features the striking Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, a bar and lounge, and a private lounge for Friends of the COC.
Within R. Fraser Elliott Hall, Ring 3 is composed of five central rows with two rows on the horseshoe sides. It has both wheelchair-accessible and transfer-arm seating on the aisles of the top row. Loose seating is featured along the horseshoe sides. Seats closest to the stage are accessed by a short flight of steps from the Grand Ring.
All seats in the R. Fraser Elliott Hall (including those on the horseshoe arms), have been tested for unobstructed views of the stage.
RING 4
Ring 4 is accessed from the Glass Staircase, as well as elevators, and features the top entrance to the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, and two public lounges with bars.
Inside the auditorium, Ring 4 is composed of five central rows with two rows on the horseshoe sides. It has both wheelchair-accessible and transfer-arm seating on the aisles of the top row. Loose seating is featured along the horseshoe sides. Seats closest to the stage are accessed by ramp from Ring 3.
RING 5
Ring 5, the top level of the Four Seasons Centre, is accessible by three elevators and by stairs leading up from Ring 4.
There are eight rows in Ring 5 of R. Fraser Elliott Hall. This level features continental seating, a continuous row with aisles on each side. To make it easier to pass seated patrons, each row on this level enjoys more legroom. Within the auditorium, all seats are accessed by steps.
