Studio Bell, the tall building on 9 Avenue SE, started with a pipe organ.
In 1987 the Carthy Organ was installed in the Jack Singer Concert Hall. That’s the seed. A group of people who loved keyboards kept pushing the idea forward, and by 1996 it had grown into the Chinook Keyboard Centre. Then it became the Cantos Music Museum, a collection built on obsession with instruments.
In February 2012, Cantos became the National Music Centre, a national music institution with its home in Calgary. Construction on Studio Bell began in 2013, and the building opened on July 1, 2016. Canada Day.
The new home kept an eye on the old neighbourhood too. The King Edward Hotel next door, the blues-soaked King Eddy, was folded into the project and later reopened as a venue. You can trace the whole timeline on studiobell.ca/our-story.
None of this happened in a weekend. It took roughly three decades of small steps, from one organ to a national centre.
Next time you’re near East Village, go inside. Press a few keys, say hi to TONTO, wander the studios. Then think about the one organ that began it all, sitting in a concert hall in 1987.
Next up for you is A Pipe Organ Started Calgary’s Music Centre. After that, They took the King Eddy apart brick by brick. Or try Mahler, a sprinkler leak and a very Calgary opening night for a change of pace.
Quick answers
Studio Bell began with a pipe organ. The Carthy Organ was installed in the Jack Singer Concert Hall in 1987. By 1996 the idea had grown into the Chinook Keyboard Centre, then the Cantos Music Museum, and in February 2012 it became the National Music Centre.
Studio Bell opened on July 1, 2016, which is Canada Day. Construction began in 2013 on 9 Avenue SE. The King Edward Hotel next door, the blues soaked King Eddy, was folded into the project and later reopened as a venue.
Cantos became the National Music Centre in February 2012, a national music institution with its home in Calgary. The timeline runs roughly three decades, from one organ in 1987 to a national centre. You can trace it all at studiobell.ca.
Source: Studio Bell, Our Story.
If this one hooked you, we think Calgary Was Almost Called Fort Brisebois and The Hip Farewell Came to Studio Bell are a good next read.
