By David Farrell
Deane Cameron, the former president of EMI Music Canada who became President/CEO of the Corporation of Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall for four years before his death from a heart attack in 2019, is to have his name honoured with the creation of the Deane Cameron Recording Studio as part of the Massey Hall revitalization project.
An anonymous donor and friend to Cameron has pledged to match the first $150K in donations. Donors’ pledging $1,000+ will receive recognition on the Massey Hall Revitalization campaign donor wall, and on a plaque recognizing the community of supporters honouring his legacy and name. No total cost for the recording facility has been disclosed.
Known to many as “Captain Canada,” Cameron’s legacy is invariably tied to the oversized imprint he left in investing and marketing homegrown talent. Among the acts he had signed to the label during his tenure were high school chum Tom Cochrane, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Stompin’ Tom Connors, Glass Tiger, The Rankin Family, Serena Ryder, Moist, The Tea Party, Susan Aglukark, Alfie Zappacosta, and Luba. There were others, too; many others.
Every performance space, from Massey Hall’s Allan Slaight Stage to each of three new venues, will be connected to the Deane Cameron Recording Studio where emerging artists and participants in Artist Development programs will benefit from access to the facility.
The additional facilities are to be housed in a new 7-story multi-purpose performance facility called The Allied Music Centre, a Canadian real estate company that signed on last year to contribute $21-million over 16 years, bringing the entire revitalization project total up to $180 million. The new spaces include a recital hall, a 500-person capacity music club, and a high-tech Basement bar. The studio that can double as a broadcast facility is to be installed on the 7th floor.
A collaborative artist workspace is expected to open on the 6th floor.
The federal and provincial governments have each pledged $30M for the refurbishment and expansion of the concert hall, and the Slaight Family Foundation has pledged another $10M.
More about Deane Cameron and how to donate to the legacy studio can be found on the Allied Music Centre website. More details about restoration plans for the concert hall here.
