For several years now people in Toronto's Rosedale neighbourhood have been watching an extraordinary 18,000 sq. ft. home take shape. The vision of renowned mathematician Dr. James Stewart, Integral House is clad in natural wood with dramatic frosted glass panels wrapped around the second floor. The entire structure has been built with the goal of becoming a premiere venue for classical musical performance.
Situated in the heart of Rosedale on Roxborough Drive, and perched on the edge of a ravine over-looking the Don Valley Brickworks, the house offers calm, meditative panoramic views of the surrounding forest. Looking from the street the house is two stories, but you actually enter at the balconey level of the 2 storey performance space, then there are two more floors below cascading part way into ravine
It is the interior performance space that really sets the house apart. Acousticians have determined the ideal placement of the balconies and wooden louvered structures that harness sound energy from the glass surfaces of the windows and project it outward.
The floor is made of a special sound absorbing limestone so porous that red wine cannot be served at household functions lest any spills become permanent stains.
There are three balconies overlooking the main performance area. Here is a shot from the right-hand one showing organisers at Sunday's fundraiser / launch event for The Toronto Summer Music Festival arranging chairs for the concert portion of the evening.
Guests for the sold out $300 per ticket event were first treated to a scrumptuous meal, then the musical portion of the evening featuring Toronto's eclectic and energetic Tokai Quartet, followed by clarinettist Hubert Tanguay-Labrosse, a nineteen year old pheonom from Montreal, who joined the quartet for a final selection.
I'd estimate that the capacity of the room, using all three balconies, could probably comfortably hold slightly over one hundred people, which makes for a very intimate concert space.
The room itself has a bright, lively sound that maintains good separation between the instruments accurately conveying their tone and nuance. The Tokai Quartet sounded great, as usual.
It was a very dimly lit concert. I talked to someone from the architect's office who said eventually lighting will be installed on the side walls to illuminate the artists better.
All in all Integral House has to be one of the most unique performance spaces in the country.
In it's finishings, the purpose-built interior has the same attention to detail, and many of the sound-isolating principles, as the Four Seasons Centre. From the moment you enter the room there is an air of seriousness about it. You know this will not be a concert thrown together in someone's living room, but a high fidelty musical experience.
Although brand new, in fact some areas of the 2nd floor are yet to be finished, it's almost as if the city should slap a heritage designation on the building right now to ensure it's uniqueness will survive well into the future.
Beautiful space, beautiful music, Sunday evening's event bodes well for the upcoming Toronto Summer Music Festival.
For further information on the Toronto Summer Music Festival, check out Torontowide's Symphony section listing for full details.
Photos done with Olympus E30 cameras, with Digital Zuiko 9-18mm f4 lens, and Digital Zuiko 12-60mm 2.8 lens @ between 400 and 2500 ISO.
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