Aeolian Hall
THE
AEOLIAN
Enhancing London ’ s Historic Cultural & Community Hub
By Andrew King its life as the town hall for East London in 1884 , but when that community found itself finan-
Itbegan cially devastated a few years later and was forced to amalgamate with the City of London , it became home to a fire hall and court house , then a public school , woodshop , library , and all kinds of other things throughout the late 1800s and 1900s .
Now , still standing proud and palatial at the corner of Dundas and Rectory Streets in London , The Aeolian is one of the city and province ’ s most prestigious performing arts venues and music schools – a heritage building steeped in history but promoting a progressive and future-minded approach to the arts .
Back in 2018 , The Aeolian was the beneficiary of a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation , from which some funds were earmarked to upgrade the hall ’ s AVL systems to properly cater to its increasingly high-profile productions and discerning patrons .
The Aeolian
795 Dundas St . E ., London , ON N5W 2Z6 519.672.7950 info @ aeolianhall . ca www . aeolianhall . ca
History of the Hall
In 1947 , a Londoner named Gordon Jeffery converted a former church into a concert venue dubbed Aeolian Hall to host performances from local chamber musicians . In May 1968 , the venue was destroyed by arson , so Jeffery purchased the former East London Town Hall as a temporary venue until the original could be rebuilt .
In 1969 , the old town hall was refurbished and properly outfitted as a performance space . To optimize acoustics , the hall ’ s original main floor ceiling was removed , leaving only the striking hand-cut wood beams that supported it . The original stage was raked , though an orchestra pit was added to be able to welcome small operas and musicals .
The new Aeolian Hall formally opened its doors in September 1969 , with Jeffery conducting a performance by the Aeolian
Town Hall Orchestra in a program comprising three of Bach ’ s Brandenburg Cocerti and Violin Concerto in E Major .
By 1977 , Jeffery had abandoned his plans to rebuild the original venue and the newly-official Aeolian Hall at the corner of Dundas and Rectory began hosting a wider array of acts and productions .
Jeffery died in 1986 and left the venue in the care of his trust , which oversaw its operations as a performance hall until the end of its mandate in 2003 , at which point the building was listed for sale .
Revered Canadian concert pianist Clark Bryan purchased The Aeolian in July 2004 and immediately expanded its mandate to include multi-genre music and art presentation as well as community events .
In 2009 , Bryan handed governance of The Aeolian to a registered charity / non-profit corporation : The Aeolian Hall Musical Arts Association . Two years later , he transferred ownership of the building to the organization to ensure its future in the Public Trust .
Currently , in addition to hosting upwards of 150 annual performances between its own productions and outside rentals , the hall is also home to the Aeolian School of
34 PROFESSIONAL SOUND