Montreal Academy of Music

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Montreal Academy of Music was a theater that had 2100 seats and was situated on the East side of Victoria Street in Montreal, just North of Saint Catherine Street. It was inaugurated in 1875 and demolished by 1910 so that the Goodwin store could be enlarged. The Goodwin store later became Eaton's, which later went bankrupt and was converted into a mall called Complexe Les Ailes.

This building was known for its theatrical presentation. In 1877, Calixa Lavallée directed Jeanne d'Arc by Gounod. La Traviata and Lucia di Lammemoor were presented in 1890, and Lohengrin and Les Hughenots in 1892 by Emma Albani. Also, Victor Herbert's Cyrano de Bergerac was presented for the first time on September 11th 1899.

Starting April 1903, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra began playing concerts in this theater.

In 1995, The Montreal Academy of Music was inaugurated as a music school in Montreal in memory of the theatre and its artistic vision. Directed by musician, Samia O'Day, the Montreal Academy of Music provides music lessons in various genres to students across Montreal and suburbs. The Montreal Academy of Music currently organizes annual festivals at Place des Arts for students and professionals at the school. Their online registration system is the first of its kind in Montreal, allowing students to review teacher information and rates as well as register online (www.montrealacademy.com)