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Place Des Arts




Place des Arts is a cultural complex in Montreal , Quebec , Canada .

Located in the eastern part of the city's downtown (), the complex is home to the Montreal Symphony Orchestra , Les Grands Ballets Canadiens De Montréal , and the Opéra De Montréal .

Place des Arts was an initiative of Mayor Jean Drapeau ,a noted lover of opera, as part of a project to expand the downtown core eastward from the concentration of business and financial activity in the centre-west part of downtown. The ''Corporation George-Étienne-Cartier'', named in honour of George-Étienne Cartier , a Father Of Confederation and opera lover, was set up to build it, and the first part of the complex (including the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier) was inaugurated on September 21 , 1963 . The other theatres were added progressively. The Musée d'art contemporain was moved to the complex on May 28 , 1992 .


THEATERS


The Place des Arts includes five theatres of various sizes:

  • Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier , with 2,900 seats, is the largest multipurpose concert hall in Canada

  • Théâtre Maisonneuve

  • Théâtre Jean-Duceppe

  • Studio-théâtre

  • Cinquième salle


This wealth of theatres permits the staging of Opera , Symphony , Ballet and other Dance , Chamber Music , Choral Music , Theatre , Film presentation, and various other presentations and ceremonies.

In addition to the theatres, the complex hosts the Musée D'art Contemporain De Montréal , a museum of Contemporary Art , as well as rehearsal halls, shops, services, and a large, popular esplanade decorated with original fountains and water cascades.

All the various facilities are connected by an underground mall, also linked to Place-des-Arts Metro Station to the north and the Complexe Desjardins to the south as part of the Underground City .

The site is decorated with several works of Public Art including ''L'artiste est celui qui fait voir l'autre côté des choses'' by Claude Bettinger , ''Comme si le temps... de la rue'' by Pierre Granche , and ''La voie lactée'' by Geneviève Cadieux .

In the summer the esplanade and the street in front of it make up one of the important outdoor sites of the Festival International De Jazz De Montréal .


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