Banff Centre

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Banff Centre
Motto Inspiring Creativity
Established 1933
Type arts, cultural,
& educational institution
& conference complex
President Jeff Melanson
Location Banff, Alberta,
 Canada
Campus Tunnel Mountain in
Banff National Park
Website banffcentre.ca

The Banff Centre, formerly known as The Banff Centre for Continuing Education, from 1933 to 1970. The Banff School of Fine Arts[1] is an arts, cultural, and educational institution and conference complex located in Banff, Alberta. The Banff Centre is part of Alberta's post-secondary educational system, and offers programs in the performing and fine arts, and leadership training. The Banff Centre is also a member of the Alberta Rural Development Network.

The Banff Centre was founded in 1933 by the University of Alberta[2] as an experimental theatre school and became known as the Banff School of Fine Arts in 1935.[3] By 1936, music became an important part of the program and remains so today. The Banff International String Quartet Competition was established in 1983[4] and the Banff Festival of the Arts, established in 1971,[5] has seen several Canadian premieres including Michael Daugherty's opera Jackie O, John Metcalf's Kafka's Chimp and Jonathan Dove's Siren Song. In 1947 the centre moved from the town of Banff to its present location on Tunnel Mountain in Banff National Park. Although the centre operates year round, its summer school is Canada's oldest major summer school of the arts as noted in the Encyclopaedia of Music in Canada (Greene and Spier eds).[6] During Metcalf's period as artistic director of the department of music theatre in Banff, he workshopped a number of operas, including his own Tornrak, and in recent years the Centre has supported the creation of a number of new Canadian operas including Filumena,[7] and Frobisher[8]

In addition to its arts programming, conferences were introduced in 1953 and management programs in 1954. In 2003, it became host to the Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery. In December 2008, the name was officially changed to "The Banff Centre." The Centre has full autonomy as a non-degree-granting educational institution under the governance of an appointed board.

The Banff Centre also operates an instrument bank for the use of younger musicians in mid career.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Banff School, history
  2. ↑ Colombo, John Robert (1984). Canadian Literary Landmarks. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Hounslow Press. p. 247. ISBN 0-88882-073-9. 
  3. ↑ Lotz, Jim (1998). The Lichen Factor: The quest for community development in Canada. Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada: Cape Breton University Press. p. 128. 
  4. ↑ "Cecilia String Quartet nabs 1st place at Banff". CBC News, Arts and Entertainment. September 7, 2010. Retrieved 2013-Sept-01. 
  5. ↑ Dawson, Eric (July 30, 1977). "Banff 'amateurs' not amateurish". The Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta, Canada): 1. Retrieved 2013-Sept-01. 
  6. ↑ Banff Centre for the Arts, summer school
  7. ↑ Filumena, Banff Centre
  8. ↑ Frobisher.
  9. ↑ Instrument Bank

External links

Coordinates: 51°10′19″N 115°33′42″W / 51.171843°N 115.561677°W / 51.171843; -115.561677

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