Francis Winspear Centre for Music

The Francis Winspear Centre for Music is a performing arts centre located in downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Built in 1997, it is the home of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. The center is named after Dr. Francis G. Winspear, who donated $6 million to the construction of the facility - the single largest private donation to a performing arts facility in Canadian history. The Canadian federal government contributed $15 million and the Alberta government contributed $15 million as well. The concert hall itself has a seating capacity of 1,716 people and when seating is available in the choir loft above the main stage area the hall can hold up to 1,932, and is a tall, rectangular room with stepped, curved balconies and terraces. With its parallel side walls, the Winspear represents a modern adaptation of the classic "shoebox" shaped concert halls of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.