Mozart's "greatest hits" were on tap Saturday evening at a fundraiser for the continuing renovation of the Battleford Opera House, along with an announcement that the first phase of the restoration has earned its designer an award.
Supporters of the Opera House project turned out in formal attire for the event at the Third Avenue United Church. Two hundred sixty tickets, at $50 a piece, were sold. Attendance was somewhat under the ticket sales, however the show couldn't have been enjoyed any less.
A cast of six singers and a supporting team from Saskatoon Opera presented a special adaptation of Mozart's Odyssey, a program originally developed as part of Saskatoon Opera's travelling Opera in the Schools project. It featured music from the operas of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The mayor of Battleford, Chris Odishaw, opened the evening with words explaining the circumstances that brought Mozart's Odyssey to the Battlefords Saturday night, looking back to a day in 2008 when a delegation from Saskatoon Opera, having heard about its amazing acoustics, visited the Opera House. Like minds agreed co-operation among them could help to move the restoration project along, and include the rejuvenated venue in Saskatoon Opera's vision to become a star on the regional cultural landscape.
Working with the company's general manager Karen Reynaud, Odishaw signed up his business, Battleford Furniture, as a sponsor of the company and its Opera in the Schools program, with the eventual arrangement of Saturday's fundraiser.
Odishaw thanked all those who bought tickets in support of the Opera House fundraiser and all those who signed on as sponsors. Ever a salesman, he also encouraged the audience to consider purchasing a limited edition print of a painting by artist Dan Reid, the proceeds of which also go toward the Opera House renovation.
The Opera House has been a special project of Odishaw's since he was first elected as mayor of Battleford in 2006. He does not claim to be the first to see the potential in reopening the Opera House that had been closed to the public since a fire in 1965. But, as Councillor Garth Walls, a 24 year veteran of Battleford's town council, pointed out, Odishaw is the first to be able to move the idea forward into an official project.
(The late former mayor, Alex Dillabough, who served during less economically buoyant years, dreamed of the day when it could be brought back to life, but the cost of bringing the Opera House up to fire code standards at that time was prohibitive. The best that could be done at that time was to rid the empty auditorium of the pigeons that had taken up residence there. Subsequent councils have also looked at scenarios to reopen the Opera House, they, too, finding the costs prohibitive.)
Walls said the project is going ahead now partly because the economic climate has improved and there are more sources of funding available nowadays, but also credited Odishaw with the ability to get things done.
"If you have a project you want done, get him on your team," said Walls of Odishaw.
When Odishaw was elected for the first time in 2006, his first day on the job included a tour of Town Hall and its Opera House.
He told Saturday's audience he found the auditorium on the second floor of Town Hall an amazing space, with a great feeling of history. He took his first few paycheques as mayor and called on Jeff Mannix, professional engineer with Rajani Blaser Mannix Architecture, to come up with some plans to return the space to its original function as a performing arts centre and community gathering place. (While a final plan has not been arrived at yet, it will most likely mean constructing an exterior space on the east side of the building to house access to the Opera House as well as kitchen space and washrooms and provide a view of the North Saskatchewan River valley.)
The first phase of the renovation has been completed with a new roof, insulation where none existed before, and the installation of new windows. This phase has earned Mannix a Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Heritage Architecture Excellence Award. The award recognizes the restoration of the town hall's roof to its original arched shape from a more recent sloped roof renovation and the upgrade in energy efficiency.
Battleford Town Hall and Opera House was built in 1912 for $40,000. It was designed by Saskatoon architect W.W. LaChance and built by Pigott and Son of Hamilton, Ontario.
It was declared a Municipal Heritage Property in 1982. A symbol of town optimism, the Town Hall/ and Opera House is valued for its association with the historical beginnings of the Town of Battleford. Until it was damaged by fire in 1965, the Opera House accommodated school plays, high school graduations, live theatre, musical talent nights, Christmas concerts, dances, and firemen's banquets.
The Town Hall Opera House phenomenon was once a common site in Saskatchewan, but only a few are left standing. Today, only Wolseley's sees regular use. Fort Qu'Appelle's is no longer used due to fire regulations, Prince Albert's was sacrificed for office space, and Hanley's was demolished in 1982.
