The Winspear is transforming into an monumental music centre that will shape the future of our city. Your generosity is vital to its completion.
Celeigh Cardinal, JUNO award-winning soul-folk songstress
Construction is underway on a key building block for Edmonton’s downtown—a reimagined Winspear Centre. When completed, it will fundamentally change the way people use the Winspear.
Together, we will join hands with our neighbours and create the downtown Edmonton deserves.
Today, we stand on the threshold of history, ready to build on the legacy of stalwarts like Tommy Banks and Francis Winspear. We will create an unparalleled music centre for everyone. But we need your support.
Open for everyone, every day. Our new music centre will increase programming for children and musicians—from hobbyists to maestros—while welcoming the public in to learn, share, and explore the power of music.
Your gift will help build the Music Box. This flexible 550-guest venue is what Edmonton music has been missing for decades. The expanded music centre will provide a world-class stage for community groups and emerging performers of every kind of music.
Supporting the completion of the Winspear vision means supporting a more lively and safer downtown, connecting to Chinatown and The Quarters, and attracting music lovers from across the province.
The expanded Winspear will reach half a million people every year—double our current impact.
The Winspear boasts more than 30 musical learning opportunities to keep people of all ages connected and inspired to realize their fullest potential. That includes the Youth Orchestra of Northern Alberta (YONA), which harnesses the power of music for positive social change. YONA benefits youth in priority neighbourhoods through a caring after-school environment of ensemble music-making at no cost to their families.
To meet the high registration demand for our programs and make even more of a positive impact in our communities, the expanded Winspear will have ample studios, classrooms and collaboration spaces to connect diverse people with their talents and love of music. Music education has a transformative effect, improving creative problem solving and critical thinking skills, and making our community a better place to live, work, and play.
As a community music centre, we will be able to serve over 50% more children and 50,000 Albertans every year. Our music programs have been enthusiastically embraced, pushing them to full capacity. Now we need the proper facilities and space for them to grow and thrive.
The Music Box will be an atmospheric 550-seat performance and event space unlike any other. Designed with the same incredible acoustics the Winspear is renowned for, this second concert hall will produce diverse live music and programming opportunities. From Celtic to choir, folk rock to free jazz, country to classical—and everything in between—there will be an experience for every music lover.
This unique space sets a new standard in our region. Within moments, the state-of-the-art seating system can transform from raised theatre seating for concerts, to tiered tables for a cabaret, to a flat floor for dancing.
The Music Box's incredible versatility will make it essential to the fabric of our community. With this second music venue and multiple performance spaces, the new Winspear music centre provides our communities with everything we need to express our culture through music.
The Winspear was founded on the idea of bringing people together through the power of music, and true to its roots, the expanded centre will be a beacon of possibility and community. In its fully realized form, the new Winspear will be an extraordinary landmark, supporting a rejuvenated Edmonton core.
With rentable multi-purpose spaces, a gorgeous outdoor plaza, daytime programming and interactive discovery zones placed throughout the building, we’re creating an accessible and welcoming attraction. Downtown Edmonton will be abuzz with visitors, from local residents to global guests attending international conferences. 41% of visitors come from outside the city, which is expected to generate $4.5 million in economic impact in the first year of operation alone.
Today, the Winspear is only accessible during scheduled events. With the expansion, our doors will be open to the public every day, making this interactive, awe-inspiring cultural centre the perfect gathering place for locals and tourists alike.
We are grateful that all three levels of government, alongside our valued private donors, have brought us to where we are today. After Covid slowed construction, the delay plus rising material costs have created a significant funding gap.
Brick by brick, note by note, a music centre for everyone has begun taking shape. The Winspear’s remarkable expansion will transform our space into a true community hub. Much like a rec centre draws people in to exercise their bodies, our music centre will draw people in to engage their creative spirit.
Your contribution will help open its doors to the world. Your generosity will help complete:
Ethan Filner
Assistant Principal Viola, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
To discuss your gift, we invite you to contact Alex Draper, the Winspear Centre’s Director of Philanthropy, by email or phone at 780-401-2539.
Members of YONA (Youth Orchestra of Northern Alberta)
