Cantos Music Foundation: Five Fit for a King

Market Wire, May, 2009

After an extensive worldwide search, Cantos Music Foundation has narrowed the field to five exceptional architectural teams to compete for the opportunity to design a new national music centre featuring world-renowned music collections and public programs at the site of the King Edward Hotel.

The chosen firms are:

- Allied Works Architecture/BKDI , Portland, OR, Calgary, AB

- Jean Nouvel Workshop , Paris, France

- Diller Scofidio Renfro , New York, NY with Kasian, Calgary, AB

- Saucier Perrotte , Montreal, PQ with Graham Edmunds , Calgary, AB

- Studio Pali - Fekete, Los Angeles, CA

"We were thrilled with the response our request for expressions of interest received worldwide," says Andrew Mosker, executive director of Cantos Music Foundation . "The caliber of talent was outstanding and it was a difficult task to narrow it down to five." Sixty-six firms from all over North America and Europe expressed interest in the project.

Each of the five teams will be given $50,000 USD upon completion of a conceptual design for the project, which is seen as a key catalyst in the redevelopment of the East Village . Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) president and CEO, Chris Ollenberger , says the national music centre project represents the community's future.

"We are passionate about the rejuvenation the East Village, and we share Cantos' passion for this project and its potential for all of Calgary," says Ollenberger. CMLC is the current owner of the King Eddy and is leading the development of Calgary's East Village to a mixed-use, vibrant, inner-city community.

The final five will develop design concepts to be presented to the public as well as a selection committee comprised of:

- 2-3 architects

- 1 local visual artist with national exposure

- 2 museum Presidents/CEOs (1 national, 1 international)

- Cantos Executive Director

- 1 Cantos board member

- A recognized Canadian citizen

- A Canadian musician of international stature

The competition winner, who will be announced in the summer of 2009, will be awarded the project which is planned to open in 2012. The public is welcome and encouraged to visit www.cantos.ca/kingeddy to offer their ideas and input.

Cantos Music Foundation is a registered charitable organization whose vision it is to be a national catalyst for discovery, innovation and renewal through music. Cantos serves nearly 30,000 people per year - a number that's expected to more than triple in the new facility.

Contacts: Cantos Music Foundation Camie Leard Manager, Marketing Communications and Public Relations (403) 543-5122