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Our colleagues at KWS have told us that your previously purchased ticket(s) will be eligible to receive a tax receipt. These will be issued automatically to you by mail in the coming days.
The KWS Box Office is closed for in-person visits but you can reach them via email at patronservices@kwsymphony.on.ca.
A Message From Our Board Chair:
"As the home of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony since 1980, the Centre in the Square (CITS) staff and board teams were saddened to learn of this weekend’s difficult decisions made by the KW Symphony board of directors. The KW Symphony was a founding partner at the CITS and its musicians & staff have been part of our extended family here at CITS for more than four decades. Our thoughts and support remain with their entire team during this challenging time and we remain ready to assist where we can, as they consider next phases for our community’s beloved orchestra.”
Dan Carli,
Chair,
Centre in the Square Board of Directors
Kitchener, Ontario, May 24, 2023 —Canadians everywhere have felt the impact of COVID-19 on their families, their livelihoods, and their way of life. As the arts & entertainment industry continues to re-build and rebound, Centre In The Square, alongside the Government of Canada, Province of Ontario, and the City of Kitchener are excited to unveil a washroom renovation project which will have a positive impact on the over 150,000 yearly visitors for generations to come.
Today, MP Valerie Bradford, MP Tim Louis, MPP Amarjot Sandhu, and City of Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic are excited to announce the completion of Centre In The Square’s washroom renovation project, the first of two renovation projects for the Centre In The Square theatre, in downtown Kitchener.
This washroom renovation project completely renovated 12 theatre washrooms, which included replacing the fixtures, plumbing, ventilation, and electrical components, and adding automatic door openers and handrails. This project updated not only 60 existing fixtures but also added an additional 16 fixtures to help alleviate capacity issues experienced during peak usage and improve accessibility.
The Government of Canada invested $1.2 million in this project while the Government of Ontario contributed nearly $1 million, with the City of Kitchener providing the remaining costs of just over $2.4 million. Together, Canada and Ontario, alongside community partners, are working to ensure Ontarians’ health and safety and create good-paying jobs.
All orders of government are working diligently together for the people of Ontario to make strategic infrastructure investments in communities across the province when they are needed most.
Members of the media were invited to attend a ceremony at Centre In The Square today, May 24 @ 1 PM for a tour of the Centre In The Square’s new facilities, a performance from select members of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and light refreshments.
“By supporting cultural and recreational facilities, we are building stronger communities where Canadians want to live, work and raise their families. As the largest performing arts venue in the region, Centre in the Square is an important hub of culture and entertainment. The Government of Canada’s investment has helped to make the facility more accessible, while enhancing its experience for tens of thousands of yearly visitors.”
Tim Louis, Member of Parliament for Kitchener—Conestoga, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities
“As the largest theatre in the Waterloo Region, the Centre In The Square is a hub of culture and entertainment. Supporting modernized and more accessible facilities will help eliminate barriers, open the theatre to all, and ensure that it can be enjoyed for years to come.”
Valerie Bradford, Member of Parliament for Kitchener—Hespeler
“The newly renovated washrooms at Centre In The Square will help to make the theatre more inclusive and accessible for everyone. By supporting community and cultural infrastructure, we are creating opportunities to participate in local activities in Kitchener.”
Kinga Surma, Ontario Minister of Infrastructure
“The Centre in the Square has been the City of Kitchener’s premiere performing arts centre since 1980 serving Kitchener residents and guests from throughout Waterloo region and beyond. This investment in enhancing patron amenities at this highly regarded arts & culture facility shows once again what is possible when federal, provincial and municipal governments work together in making investments to grow the economy, build communities, and make cities like Kitchener a great place to live, work and play in.”
Berry Vrbanovic, City of Kitchener Mayor
“Centre In The Square is honored to play a role in building a vibrant, inclusive and exciting community. We are eternally grateful to the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, and the City of Kitchener for funding this very necessary washroom replacement project. These improvements will allow us to better serve all our 150,000+ patrons per year, for decades to come, while making our facility more accessible for the needs of all our patrons.”
Dan Carli, Board Chair- Centre In The Square
To support and inspire local musicians during the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Kitchener through its Film, Music, and Interactive Media Office and the Centre In The Square partnered to create a fund to help local artists do what they do best – create and connect. Today, the City and Centre In The Square are awarding 14 grants of $1,000 each to help musicians create audio and video content to engage and grow their audiences.
“The pandemic has devastated the music industry around the globe and here at home – affecting the lives and livelihoods of so many in our community,” said City of Kitchener Councillor and Centre In The Square board member, Bil Ioannidis. “I hope the Create and Connect grants will help some local artists with projects that help to bring valued music and entertainment to the entire city, and beyond.”
A total of 146 local musicians applied for the grant. The jury, formed by members of the local arts scene, reviewed the details of each applicant’s project before selecting the 14 grant recipients. The review included the artist’s music, social media, collaborators, and budget.
This year’s Create and Connect grant recipients include:
· Rufus John
· Anthony Ramsay
· Rachel Hickey
· Adult Recreation Centre (Alexander Wright)
· Jaguar Sun (Chris Minielly)
· Flamenco Plus (Julian Berg)
· The MacQueens (Kris MacQueen)
· Mandippal Jandu
· John Paul Sunga
· Hiba ElMiari
· Clarissa Diokno
· Among Legends (Sara Fellin)
· I, the Mountain (Allison Dyjach)
· Vintage Flight (Avalon Bridger)
“The awarded grants really reflect the breadth, depth, and diversity of the musical talent in the community,” explained Rob Sonoda, General Manager of Centre In The Square. “The artists represent genres such as pop, punk, flamenco, hip hop, rock, Arabic, and country.”
Centre In The Square and the City of Kitchener are committed to supporting local music in all its forms and developing local musicians to reach their full potential.
THE 2021 CREATE AND CONNECT GRANT RECIPIENTS
Rufus John – will record and promote the hip hop version of the song Freedom Marching with members of the local BIPOC community.
https://www.instagram.com/rufusjohnmusic/
https://www.facebook.com/rufusjohnmusic/
Anthony Ramsay – will create a video art project showcasing the Region and its BIPOC musicians.
https://www.instagram.com/ramsayalmighty/
https://twitter.com/ramsayalmighty
http://www.ramsayalmighty.com
Rachel Hickey – will produce her 1st live-off-the-floor videos for 2 original songs.
https://www.instagram.com/racheljhickey/
http://www.racheljhickey.com
adult recreation centre (Alexander Wright) – will record a live album release for their 1st album.
https://www.instagram.com/adultrecreationcentre/
https://www.facebook.com/adultrecreationcentreband
https://twitter.com/adultreccentre
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9lnXBP3pUzwPpffrDfxatA/videos
http://adultrecreationcentre.ca/music
Jaguar Sun (Chris Minielly) – will produce a live video to showcase his new band.
https://www.instagram.com/jaguar__sun/
Flamenco Plus (Julian Berg) – will record two songs, their first professional recordings
http://www.calujules.com
https://facebook.com/flamencoplus
https://instagram.com/calujules/
https://twitter.com/flamencoplus
The MacQueens (Kris MacQueen) – will produce a narrative music video for their new single.
https://www.themacqueens.ca
https://www.facebook.com/themacqueensmusic/
https://www.instagram.com/themacqueens/
https://twitter.com/MacQueensMusic
https://soundcloud.com/themacqueens
https://themacqueens.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7pSyO7nsLUEM0nfqBtc3Dg
Mandippal Jandu – will shoot a video series of local Black, Indigenous and People of Color musicians.
http://www.instagram.com/mandippal
http://www.mandippal.com
John Paul Sunga – will record a new song and a video to accompany it.
https://www.jpsunga.com
https://www.instagram.com/jpsungamusic/
https://www.facebook.com/jpsungaofficial
Hiba ElMiari – will have her poem translated from Arabic, set to music and recorded
https://www.facebook.com/hiba.adelelmiari
Clarissa Diokno – will film a music video for her 2nd single.
https://clarissadiokno.com
https://instagram.com/clarissadiokno
https://facebook.com/clarissadiokno
https://youtube.com/clarissadiokno
Among Legends (Sara Fellin) – will film videos for 1st full-length album.
https://facebook.com/amonglegends519
https://twitter.com/amonglegends519
https://instagram.com/amonglegends519
I, the Mountain (Allison Dyjach) – will record video for new single.
https://facebook.com/ithemountain
https://twitter.com/ithemountain
https://instagram.com/ithemountain
https://youtube.com/ithemountain
Vintage Flight (Avalon Bridger) – will produce a video for a new single.
http://www.vintageflightband.com
http://www.facebook.com/vintageflightband
http://www.instagram.com/vintageflightband
http://www.avalonsmusic.com
http://www.instagram.com/avalonbridger
http://www.facebook.com/avalonsmusic
Today we'll take a stroll down memory lane and revisit March 2017 when Blue Rodeo rocked a SOLD OUT Centre In The Square with The Sadies! Big thanks to Hilary Gauld for lending a lens and capturing some awesome photos of the bands!
In other Centre In The Square news our Catch The Ace initiative is up to $723 for the weekly draw with $2,500 weekly progressive. Click here to learn more info, and how you can help support arts in Waterloo Region!
Canadians everywhere are feeling the impact of COVID-19 on their families, their livelihoods and their way of life. Together, Canada and Ontario are working to reduce the impact of the pandemic, ensure health and safety, rebuild businesses, and promote job creation, growth and investment.
Today, Raj Saini, Member of Parliament for Kitchener Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; Tim Louis, Member of Parliament for Kitchener—Conestoga; Mike Harris, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry and Member of Provincial Parliament for Kitchener—Conestoga, on behalf of the Honourable Laurie Scott, Ontario's Minister of Infrastructure; Amy Fee, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services and Member of Provincial Parliament for Kitchener South—Hespeler; Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor of the City of Kitchener; and Elizabeth Sproule, Chair of the Board of Directors, Centre In The Square, announced funding for two renovation projects for the Centre In The Square theatre, in downtown Kitchener.
The Government of Canada is investing more than $1.7 million in these projects through the Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada plan. The Government of Ontario is contributing more than $1.4 million, with the City of Kitchener providing over $800,000, and Centre In The Square contributing over $360,000.
The first project will completely renovate 12 theatre washrooms, which includes replacing the fixtures, plumbing, ventilation and electrical components, and adding automatic door openers and handrails.
The second project involves the replacement and reconfiguration of almost 1900 theatre seats to allow for more accessible seating and to improve access to the main lobby. The lifts used to remove and store theatre seats in the orchestra pit will also be replaced or refurbished.
These upgrades will improve the accessibility of the Centre In The Square theatre to better accommodate and improve the experience for nearly 150,000 yearly visitors, and reduce annual maintenance costs.
All orders of government continue to work together for the people of Ontario to make strategic infrastructure investments in communities across the province when they are needed most.
Click here for more info: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/canada-and-ontario-invest-in-upgrades-to-the-centre-in-the-square-in-kitchener-857802945.html
Blue Rodeo - one of Canada's all-time greats. We were lucky to have Blue Rodeo here at Centre In The Square in February, 2020 for a sold-out concert. Opening that night was Elliot Brood who were the perfect band for the night. Blue Rodeo were on FIRE playing a solid mix of hits, and new favourites.
Click here to learn how you can support Centre In The Square.
On February 8, 2020 Choir! Choir! Choir! gathered 2047 people (completely sold out theatre) to sing the music of Abba! Choir! Choir! Choir! is a great success story whose sold out shows across the world have been gaining momentum and popularity by the minute! They first played here in Kitchener to 200 at Kitchener Public Library, then 900 people as part of our largest OnStage show ever, and then the full theatre a year later. We can't wait to bring them back.
Click here to learn how you can support Centre In The Square.
On January 24, 2020 we welcomed Canadian pop-hitmakers Marianas Trench to Centre In The Square to blow the roof of the joint for a sold out night of 2000+ Trenchers! Check out some photos from their set and feel free to stream their latest album on Spotify or Apple Music!
Click here to learn how you can support Centre In The Square.
On January 24, 2020 we welcomed up-and-coming Alternative band Monowhales to Centre In The Square to open up for the incredibly popular Marianas Trench! What a show this band puts on! Check out some photos from their set and feel free to stream their latest album on Spotify or Apple Music!
Click here to learn how you can support Centre In The Square.