Issue No.

3 April 2010
and renovated the Hall, but he should also be credited with
The State of Affairs at The Aeolian saving the Hall, which had fallen into a state of disrepair
and neglect for many years.
Bob Heacock
Treasurer
If you look at the size of the art world in terms of the
money that is being transacted compared to other
Business and money drive the arts. This is true of much of
parts of the ‘consciousness industry,’ it is minuscule.
today’s pop culture where a few artists and performers are
But if you look at what happens in this small sector,
mass marketed and receive much of the material wealth.
how it rubs off on the rest of it, it is astonishing.
- Hans Haacke
However, Clark Bryan and The Aeolian are among those
who respect and support the artists who practice their craft.
Clark’s vision of the organization will be supported and
The Aeolian provides a venue and, hopefully, an audience
expanded as follows. The current Aeolian School of Music
for these musicians, dancers, artists and other performers
will grow into the Aeolian School for the Arts. It will be a
who put themselves forward for the love of their art.
high quality arts school as well as the establishment of
mentorship opportunities for those students aspiring to
professional careers. As well, there will be the creation of
There’s no money in poetry,
more performance and exhibit space to give The Aeolian
but then there’s no poetry in money either.
Hall local, regional, national and international attention.
- Robert Graves
The Charitable organization will continue to move
The Mission Statement of The Aeolian is to provide the op- The Aeolian forward and the establishment of the Board of
portunity for artists, arts groups, individuals and community Directors, along with a multitude of volunteers, will ensure
groups, to have access to a first-class performance and that the resources are in place for The Aeolian to thrive for
meeting space. many years to come. There will be a high level of reporting
and accountability so that donors and supporters of
To continue this mission, and The Aeolian can have confidence that any funds and
to further The Aeolian as a true resources are being managed in a manner that will benefit
community venue where many the community, The Hall and the Artist.
genres of music and a wide
diversity of the arts and artists
can thrive and showcase their
talents, Clark has turned the
governance of the Aeolian into a
charitable organization.

The Aeolian Hall Musical Arts

Association (AHMAA) will moni-
tor and guide the Hall so that it may continue to expand
upon Clark’s vision and to ensure that a larger organization
will be able to thrive and continue well into the future. David Thank you to Clark Bryan who has put the Aeolian on a
Gillies, Daina Janitis, and I have assumed the role of the path which will lead to its recognition beyond that of a local
Board of Directors. Clark remains the Executive Director landmark, and into National treasure. Thanks also to the
of The Aeolian and will continue to lead the operations on a community for their continued support of The Aeolian.
daily basis.

Clark has done a fantastic job of moving the Aeolian Hall

forward over the past 5 years. He has not only repaired
1
The Aeolian Hall Newsletter May 2010
Aeolian Volunteers
Hello!
My name is Rebecca Rallo, but you can call me Becky.
I am 22 years old, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and in my
fourth and final year of the Media, Information, and
Technoculture Honours program, with Writing Certificate, at
the University of Western Ontario. My program
basically covers everything that falls under the umbrella of
media, information, technology, and writing. Courses I have
completed include several advertising courses, a plethora
of writing courses, journalism, cultural theory, research and
design, political economy of media, and much more.
My biggest passion is writing, and I hope to pursue a career
in which I have ample opportunity to write and to express
my creativity. This past summer I completed my first
internship with the London Free Press. This was a
wonderful experience because I was able to write
numerous articles on a variety of different topics, and I had
a great deal of flexibility and free reign over the content.
This experience also trained me to conduct professional
research and interviews and to write to extreme deadlines.
It was a lot of hard work but when all was said and done it
felt very thrilling and rewarding to see my articles printed in
a major publication.
For my second
internship, I ap-
proached Susan, the
MIT internship coor-
dinator at Western,
about a placement
with the Aeolian. The
Aeolian has stuck
out in my mind ever
since I first attended
an MIT internship
information session.
In these sessions,
past interns share
their experiences with the prospective interns, and a young
man in my program spoke to us about his internship here
at the Aeolian. He had nothing but great things to say about
his experience, boasting that the atmosphere was always
warm and welcoming and that he was able to expand his
knowledge and experience in nearly every facet of busi-
ness and culture. He mentioned that he was given the op-
portunity to develop an advertising campaign, which piqued
my interest, as well as take part in various other projects
around the theatre.
Ideally, I would like my experience here to emulate my
classmate’s, in that I would like to do a little bit of every-
thing. Since I love to write and feel that this is one of my
strongest skills, I really look forward to contributing to the
2
newsletter mentioned in my first meeting with Clark. I am
also excited to contribute to event planning and
coordination and media outreach, as these are also areas
in which I am interested, and in which I tend to excel. One
of my weaker areas would have to be technology,
especially graphic design. I am fairly competent and
knowledgeable with computers and basic programs, but
I have never been great with things like webpage design
and graphics, despite the training I have had in MIT. I would
prefer not to do a ton of work in these areas, but I also think
it would be useful for me to expand my technological knowl-
edge, as this is a valuable skill set to have in today’s soci-
ety. So I am definitely open to learning as I go and working
on any graphic projects that may arise.
On the topic of webpage design, I think a Facebook page
for the Aeolian would be an extremely valuable promotional
tool. Facebook began as a social networking site used
primarily by students, but it has now spread to nearly all
age groups and demographics. For example, both of my
parents are now active Facebook users, as well as many
of my professors and colleagues. Although I am not the
most technologically advanced person, I do know a fair bit
about social networking sites, particularly Facebook, so I
am excited to contribute to this project. I think it would be
a good idea to set up the Aeolian Facebook page as a fan
page rather than just a basic profile. I have found that for
artists and businesses, this is the best way to go in terms of
getting ones name out there.
Finally, I am very intrigued by the Aeolian Hall and its
mission statement. I don’t know a whole lot about music,
but I did take piano and dance lessons for a number of
years, as well as guitar lessons for one year, and I have a
great appreciation for music of all genres, as well as dance
and theatre. I think this will be a wonderful learning envi-
ronment in terms of being exposed to different artists and
genres. I think it is very cool that the Aeolian is largely a
nonprofit organization and that you are striving to expand
and better the East Village. It is always a treat for me to
discover hidden cultural niches throughout the city, since
being a Western student often restricts me to campus and
downtown Richmond. Coming from Winnipeg, which is
actually quite a cultural Mecca, I hope to take away not
only business related skills, but also to expand my cultural
horizons and become more actively involved in the London
community.
Thank you so much for this experience and I look forward
to joining the Aeolian team!
Becky was an intern at The Aeolian from January-April
The Aeolian Hall Newsletter May 2010
Aeolian History
Aeolian Hall’s Beautiful Organ
Jeff Fleming (co-op student CCH)
Believe it or not, a wonderful and very large organ once
stood on the balcony of The Aeolian Hall. In 1969, Gordon
Jeffery, the former owner of the hall, had the organ de-
signed especially for the hall and the amazing piece of work
was priced at $50 000.00. The maker of the organ was
‘Tis The Season: Music Festivals,
Competitions and Examinations
Clark Bryan
Executive Director
‘Tis the Season! Kiwanis Festivals, Rotary Festivals and
many others are stretching their wings at this time of the
year. Many volunteers work to make these organizations
successful. But, what does successful mean? I’m sure we
would all hope that the festival/competition/examination
experiences could be positive ones for everyone con-
cerned. Is this the reality? What should the real goals of
these experiences be?
Having grown up under the umbrella of festivals,
examinations and competitions, I feel I can speak from
some experience. I now sit on the other side of the
experience, having adjudicated festivals, judged many
competitions and examined Coast to Coast in Canada.
3
no other than Gabriel Kney. From start to finish, the organ
installation project took over two years to complete (com-
pleted in 1971) and it was the third organ by Kney that was
to be used for public performance in London Ontario.
Some of the organ’s features included three manuals, a
pedal, 48 stops, an angel on the top to resemble the
organs in Europe and the Jeffery crest (a gold lion
accented with royal blue and the word Dixie). As it the
years went by, more “bells and whistles” were added to the
organ to not only increase its diversity but to give the audi-
ence something remarkable to look forward to and
something remarkable to remember. Its amazing sound
could be showcased best with 200 people sitting in the
audience at one time. This enabled the instrument to have
the proper acoustic for just the right kind of complementary
sound. This was found out at its debut performance at the
Aeolian Hall, where it was dedicated to all the fallen sol-
diers of war, especially the soldiers with musical abilities.
Long after Jeffery’s death in 1986, the organ was removed
(2004) is now installed in the First United Church of
Waterloo Ontario. The hall misses its majesty.
On the positive side of these experiences, there are many
advantages to pursuing these goals:
1. Having goals can make us work harder and in many
cases achieve more than not having them.
2. There are many great teachers and assessors from
whom we can learn a lot.
3. Students can often benefit from hearing others
perform music, gauge their own progress and gain
appreciation for other interpretations.
4. Students may experience music they don’t know
and listen to assessments of other students from
which they can learn.
5. In the right hands, the roles of adjudicators, judges
and examiners can inspire and teach students.
6. Public performances during festivals and
competitions are great opportunities for the
audience to hear music and gain a greater
appreciation for it. (continued on the next page)
The Aeolian Hall Newsletter May 2010
On the negative side of the equation, there are many
challenges with our current systems:
1. The focus is often on winning or the final outcome,
NOT on experiencing and learning.
2. The formats of these systems don’t often allow the
judges to have adequate time to teach. Superficial
assessments are therefore often read aloud and little is
gained from a pedagogical standpoint.
3. Many of the personalities who are judging are not
positive or giving in spirit, and this can easily
discourage students.
4. Many of the personalities judging are not well trained
and don’t perform or teach much. Often they don’t
teach the levels they are assessing or even know the
repertoire. Academics frequently fall into this category,
often never having taught the young.
5. Students who don’t perform well in these settings
will often feel stressed to the point of wanting to give
up their studies. They begin to associate music with
stress and failure.
6. Teacher’s often gain their reputations based on the
outcome of these arenas. This can be self-proclaimed
reputations and ignorant ones from parents and
students of that teacher.
7. Parents get far too involved in the competitive process
and judge their children based upon outcome rather
than let them simply experience these settings. They
often get engaged in judging other parent’s children
and teachers without having sufficient experience and
knowledge to really do so.
8. Parents and students put a lot of pressure on teachers
during the time periods of these competitions/exami-
nations/festival for extra lessons. They often judge
the teacher based upon the outcome of the exam or
competition. If a teacher doesn’t make themselves as
available as the student/parent would like, the teacher
is often labelled as uninterested or too busy to teach
properly.
4
9. Curriculum becomes dependent on these goals. Often
students play only the examination or competition
repertoire all year long. Students are then only capable
of “monkey tricks” and don’t know “style” or “why” they
play the piece a certain way. The end result is that they
are never able to learn repertoire on their own.
10. Students begin to “hate” their repertoire as they have
to play it too long and are often very poor readers. As
a result of this, they are unable to learn new repertoire
quickly and easily.
11. Making “art” a “competition” tends to be antithetical to
life-journey and experience. From an ethical, moral
and spiritual standpoint, I believe that creativity should
be a personal journey. Guides are important, but
inspiration and aspiration come from within. We need
to cultivate these qualities.
In the end, these experiences seem to often be more out
of balance than in balance. The time has come to make
some big changes in our attitudes towards music
education. The first change needs to be in our value
system. We need to always think “why are we doing this?”
How does this relate to our life-journey? Competing for
personal excellence is the only valid competition. Being
creative so that you can “divide and conquer” is not natural
or healthy.
Everyone’s creativity is valid and everyone
should be encouraged to be creative.
More focus on the beauty of the work of art or the
interpretation of it should replace the fascination over the
performer’s age, technique, execution or who “won”. The
novelty of a child prodigy should be balanced by the
understanding and appreciation for the mature artist who
has had much life experience and can convey a greater
depth of understanding. Enlightenment and joy should be
the ultimate goals of our musical experiences.
CONTEST!
Find our new page on Facebook (The Aeolian)
and become a fan. Once you have become a fan,
upload photos that you have taken
at The Aeolian. Your name will
be entered into a draw for a prize
package TBA. All photos entered
online by July 1will be eligible to
win, and will be displayed on a
screen in the Hall.
Get snapping!
The Aeolian Hall Newsletter May 2010
Contact Info
Phone: 519-672-7950
Upcoming Events Calender
May 28 8 PM Girls Do Boys: Frank and
Fax: 519-675-0614
Tony’s Favourites
E-mail: info@aeolianhall.ca
$20 adv/$22 door
Office Hours May 29 8 PM Prime Time Big Band wsg
10:00am-6:00pm Monday to Friday
Vocalist Amber Cunningham
Ticket Information $22 (includes light snacks)
Tickets are available for purchase by phone (Visa,
MasterCard) or in person (Visa, MasterCard, debit, May 30 1 PM A Musical Afternoon: Reaching
cash). Out to the Worlds Children
By Donation
You can also purchase tickets online at
www.ticketscene.ca. There is an extra service charge
June 3 8 PM Justin Rutledge
by Ticketscene for this service.
$20 adv/$22 door
Tickets can be picked up at any time before an event,
during our office hours. Tickets can also be retrieved June 4 8 PM Pride Fundraising Concert
at Will Call when the doors open for the event, which is Cabaret Table $30 adv/$40
usually one hour before show time.
door
Balcony $20 adv/$30 door
We’re Online!
www.aeolianhall.ca June 5 8 PM Michael Schatte
$17 adv/$22 door
The Aeolian
June 8 8 PM Songwriters in the Round:
www.twitter.com/AeolianHall Emm Gryner, Colleen Brown
and Catherine McInnes
www.flickr.com/photos/aeolianphotos
$20 adv/$22 door
www.youtube.comuser/1LondonMusic June 11 8 PM TD Canada Trust Aeolian Jazz
Series: Denzal Sinclaire
Location $30 adv/$25 door
795 Dundas St... London Ontario. Entrance is left of the
main double doors at the Dundas St. and Rectory St. cor-
June 12 8 PM Soirée Mirembé Benefit
ner offices.
Concert featuring Enchanté
Parking Aeolian Classical Series:
$35 adv/door

June 13 3 PM Have Flute Will Travel:

Marg Tretheway (flute) and
Marion Miller (piano)
$17 adv/$22 door

June 17 8 PM Extravaganza de Arte

Visit www.aeolianhall.ca for more information $20adv/door
Advance tickets available online & through
The Aeolian Box Office 519-672-7950
5
The Aeolian Hall Newsletter May 2010
Aeolian Updates
It has been an amazing year at the Aeolian so far, filled
with exciting production and planning for the future! The
last printed newsletter announced the pending concert
with Chick Corea as a landmark opportunity for the Aeolian
and the London Community. It certainly was an amazing
event. For me personally, it was as if Beethoven himself
had descended upon the hall. Performing not only his
own compositions, improvising on standards and not often
heard Thelonious Monk, Chick also played classical music
including Scarlatti and Scriabin. His piano technique could
rival any classical virtuoso and his imagination was inspired
by the gods. His rapports with the audience made us all
feel as if we were in his living room! It was a landmark
event for all of us who attended the only Canadian concert
on his tour!
Here is what Chick had to say about the Aeolian:
“Hi Clark,
Thanks once again for a totally pleasurable two days. You
and your team were the best of hosts and best of all, the
Aeolian Theatre, the audience you helped bring in and the
whole ambience was just perfect including the very nice
Yamaha grand.  I’m sure any of my musician friends would
love this venue and the wonderful way you have of hosting
the artist (me in this case). I wish you all continued success
in your passion to bring good music to London, Ontario and
hope to play here again soon.
  Chick Corea - 3 March 2010”
During a “nosh” in the greenroom after the concert, Chick
said that he would like to help us bring in some of his
friends. My wheels were spinning with ideas for future con-
certs! He also explained that he had worked with his agent
to figure out “why” we wanted him to come and perform.
He was suitably impressed with our mission and vision and
accepted the offer.
Interesting conversation came up around Chick’s training.
He once had a piano teacher who “put Mozart in a box”,
meaning that he told Chick exactly how to play every note
of each composition. This turned him off Mozart, so he
6
quit his lessons and he decided that he was just not able
to connect to this composer. Years later he was invited
to perform the Mozart two piano concerto with Friedrich
Gulda and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the
baton of Harnoncourt. Chick commented that he really
didn’t know who these people were and just decided to
follow his heart for the interpretation. The experience was
extremely positive for Chick and kindled a fire within him
to pursue and play Mozart, and to
improvise upon his works.
Another landmark event at the
Aeolian happened days after the
Earthquake in Haiti. The Aeolian mo-
bilized with its community to produce
a fundraising concert which raised
$25,000.00 to give to the Red Cross
for relief work in Haiti. Isn’t it amaz-
ing what the power of Community
can accomplish!
The Aeolian’s winter and spring
months have been packed full of music of all genres.
Artists arrive at the hall having heard about the amazing
space and rave about the customer service they receive
from the management and volunteers.
In April, The Aeolian was awarded its second Jack Rich-
ardson Music Award for Best Live Venue in London. This
is a testament from all of our supporters! We couldn’t do it
without you!!
After the change in governance last fall to a registered
charity, the Aeolian has been awarded some grants. First,
a Trillium grant of $60,000.00 over two years to help stabi-
lize funding for administrative positions. This was followed
by “Fresh Start” funding for Jazz concerts ($5000.00) and
more recently a grant for Aboriginal Programming for next
season ($20,000.00). It is wonderful to know that our
direction is so well supported by funders. We will be
looking to raise more money in the near future for
production and operations.
The Aeolian has also added a new member to the manage-
ment team. Meghan McCready completed a double major
at UWO in English and Sociology, and received a graduate
certificate in Corporate Communications and Public Rela-
tions at Fanshawe College. She did an internship through
Fanshawe College at the Aeolian during this past Winter-
Spring. Upon completion of her formal studies, the Aeolian
Management and Board were so impressed with Meg’s
skills and performance that they decided to offer her a full-
time position. Meg brings her passion for the Arts to the
table along with many specialized skills in Communications
and Marketing.
The Aeolian is excited to be hosting a social night for a con-
ference held at UWO for Children’s Health and the Environ-
ment. This evening will feature performances by children
and will be a wonderful opportunity to show off the Aeolian
to the world! The organizer is UWO Professor Dr. Jason
Gilliland. Dr. Gilliland is highly invested in The Old East Vil-
lage and sits on the BIA Board for the Old East Village. His
two daughters study music at the Aeolian School of Music.
Go to: http://geography.ssc.uwo.ca/faculty/gilliland/
CHEW_Call2.htm#speakers and you will see the amazing
line up of presenters and the Aeolian listed as a sponsor for
this amazing event!
The Aeolian is proud to have a strong pillar in social activ-
ism for positive community change! We are not just an arts
organization, but a community of people working towards
making the world a more beautiful and satisfying place to
enjoy!
Event Photos
By Stephen Ferry
See More on our
Facebook & Flickr Pages
No More Silence
By Linda Wayne
Silence, in many cultures, represents reverence. It is the
awe that one feels upon entering a soaring ancient
cathedral or walking among the towering old oaks of the
Carolinian forest. The reverence of silence can represent
the veneration we extend toward people we honour. But the
reverence of silence also represents fear, the fear to speak
out or to upset norms.
In 1986, the Nobel Peace Prize winner Reverend
Desmond Tutu came to Canada to talk about the formal
7
apartheid that then wracked South Africa, but instead ad-
dressed the system of segregation that isolated our indig-
enous peoples on impoverished reserve lands. In doing
so, Reverend Tutu broke the silence about a system that
many Canadians have failed to fight to change, despite our
reputation for upholding human rights. By breaking through
this silence, Reverend Tutu helped to push past the fear to
speak out against this domestic inequity.
Five years ago, a Toronto-based voluntary network called
No More Silence (NMS) formed to continue to raise aware-
ness of the conditions faced by Native peoples in Canada.
The network is made up of Indigenous women and allies--
activists, academics, and researchers-- and works to bring
attention to the murders and disappearances of over 500
Indigenous women on Turtle Island.
The disappearance of Indigenous women came to
national attention in 2007 with media coverage of the
shocking trial of Robert Picton, a Coquitlam BC farmer
found guilty in the grisly murders of 27women. Many issues
reported by the CBC were never resolved in the Picton
case, including DNA and eye-witness proof and his own
confession that he did not work alone. Perhaps the most
disturbing evidence of possible collusion is the continued
disappearance of Indigenous women on BC’s notorious
“highway of tears” long after Picton’s imprisonment.
Following the Picton trial, NMS continued asking questions:
why has the evidence of additional involvement never been
pursued? Why are Canadian authorities neglecting to ac-
knowledge that women are still disappearing? The network
strives to not only answer these questions, but to help the
young women who are being targeted in these disappear-
ances. To this end, NMS labours to educate about Cana-
da’s historical and current treatment of Indigenous peoples.
The network explores strategies to end government in-
action, impunity and injustice regarding Native peoples
domestically and internationally. Finally, the NMS network
fosters new forms of solidarity and a practise of
de-colonization amongst all people living on Turtle Island.
Throughout June, NMS will hold fund raising events across
Ontario to create educational bursaries for young women
who have been affected by disappearances in their
families. The events are being co-ordinated by
Liza Hancock, an industry professional with two decades
experience doing benefits with artists and bands such as
Nu Black Nation, Jani Lauzon, Blue Rodeo, Fifth Column,
Lillian Allen, Midnight Oil, Faith Nolan, and Kyp Harness.
On June 12, Hancock will bring together local artists for an
all-day, pay-as-you-can, event at the East Village Coffee-
house at 785 Dundas, just steps away from The Aeolian.
Linda is currently planning several benefits this June across
the province for No More Silence, to raise money and
awareness regarding the hundreds of missing First Nations
Women in North America.
The Aeolian Hall Newsletter May 2010
How to Make London Great
By Doug Bale
My friend Clark asked me for something for the Aeolian
newsletter, “some perspective about the kind of London we
all deserve and are longing for...”
Clark has his own clear vision of what this city should and
could be, and has been astonishingly effective in getting
good ideas turned into realities. I share a lot of his ideas
— most of them, in fact, or at least I like to think so — but I
also occasionally come up with one of my own. The ma-
jority of these smack of pie in the sky, but I cherish them
anyway, unimpressed by the odds against porcine aviation.
One of my long-held convictions is that I have the solution
to the problem of downtown Dundas Street.
Yes, I know, the derelict strip is making a comeback, but
lord save us, it’s a slow process. All the new residential
capacity being added will gradually put many new well-
heeled feet on the street, not necessarily displacing the
shufflers and idlers but inevitably diluting their presence
and diminishing their influence. Rowdies and rubbies will
find the area less tolerant and will either pipe down or piss
off. Better stores will return, courting more sophisticated
tastes. The question is whether any of us will still be alive
by then to see it.
But even after all that, the result will be merely a return to
respectability — safer walking, tidy store-fronts, decent
shopping. You can find that in any mall.
How do you make downtown Dundas not just acceptable
but a positively desirable destination?
How about completely closing it to cars and buses and
turning the whole thing over to people — a pedestrian mall
in summer, and a skating rink in winter, all the way from
Wellington to Talbot?
Create underground parking off Queens and King with ac-
cess up to a Dundas Street that’s repaved and redecorated
with trees, gardens and public art. Encourage year-round
café terraces where summertime salads and cold drinks
could give way in winter to hot soups and mulled wine.
Repurpose a few glass bus shelters as refuges where
buskers could avoid summer showers or skaters could lace
up in wintertime when ice covers the concrete.
Let buses detour around those three blocks; London Transit
has been talking for years about reorganizing routes so
Dundas and Richmond would no longer be the central hub.
Imagine three blocks of the most interesting and historic
buildings in the city entirely given over to human traffic, free
of exhaust fumes, engine noise, honking horns, belching
8
buses. People would flock there. Apartments above those
stores would become the most desirable in town.
Well, I like to think so. But then I keep remembering that
this is London. Banning cars from certain streets may be
all very well in sophisticated cities like Rome or Edinburgh,
or even Ottawa or Québec. But in the last Canadian city to
cling to its board of control? What are the chances?
And skating rinks in shopping districts? Oh, sure, it works in
Rockefeller Centre or Hazelton Lanes. But in London? Get
hold of yourself, Orville, it’ll never fly.
In fact, though, we did try the vehicle-free experiment years
ago, in East London. Sort of. A group of progressive busi-
ness owners who’d been farther abroad than Arva and had
shaken the cockleburs out of their trouser cuffs proposed
turning several blocks of Dundas east of Adelaide into a
pedestrian mall. The novelty and the relaxed atmosphere,
they said, would draw shoppers and revive the area’s
fortunes.
City council agreed to rebuild the street into a series of
attractive winding curves and to end curbside parking, but
it just couldn’t bring itself to ban motor vehicles altogether.
The half-measure ensured failure. With traffic still permit-
ted, there was no pedestrian mall, which made the winding
curves pointless. With onstreet parking still banned, car
access was pointless too. A decade or so later, the city
restraightened the street and restored curbside meters. And
the Orvilles all said “Told ya so.”
Yep. This is London. We built Centennial Hall. We positively
begged for the Bell Bunker, arguably the ugliest building
in town, after a failed respectable project left an untaxable
hole in the ground. We cry crocodile tears and pretend
surprise when landlords abandon irreplaceable heritage
homes first to frat louts, then to squatters, till they’re dam-
aged beyond repair and can be razed and redeveloped.
We proclaim policies we don’t follow, set standards we
don’t meet, pass bylaws we don’t enforce, and regulations
we ignore. Nothing but half-measures for us. Why did the
chicken cross the road? To get to the middle.
Luckily, though, even London turns up a mensch or two
every now and then and some things do get done. We did
get University Hospital and the UWO Research Park and
the London Convention Centre. We did get a gorgeously
rebuilt Grand Theatre and an imaginatively reinvented
Central Library. We did see Aeolian Hall rescued and raised
to its full cultural potential, thanks to Clark and a legion of
volunteers. We do have Shmuel Farhi saving some of our
most precious architectural treasures--witness the restored
Capitol Theatre façade--though some worry about his
ever-expanding proprietorship of downtown. We did get a
serviceable new arena, even though we put it in the wrong
place and destroyed (continued on the next page)
The Aeolian Hall Newsletter May 2010
our city’s historic heart to do it, including our original town city administrator Vic Cote, now about to retire and perhaps
hall. hire on with Fanshawe to bring it about. Regardless of how
many of the new facilities will be open to the public, the
Some things do get done. So I continue to fantasize about downtown influx of artistically inclined students pursuing
the city London could be if more of our masters could see their education can only be an improvement on mischief-
farther ahead than the next quick buck. minded layabouts in search of their next fix.

I tell myself that sooner or later we’ll build that ring road Then there’s the other arts precinct that already exists, in
we’ve needed for the past 30 years, draw a line just beyond East London. The Aeolian, the Palace Theatre. the Lon-
it and tell the land speculators “This far and no farther.” I don Clay Art Centre, the London City Music Theatre, the
keep hoping that one day we’ll see through the developers’ little East London Studio — and let’s not forget the Carson
lie that the only alternative to stagnation is continual expan- Library, regularly saved from closure by loudly loyal east-
sion — which means eventually paving the province from enders — these and more are contributing to the new zest
end to end. and vitality that’s transforming a part of town long underval-
ued. New shops are going in, new housing going up. Walk-
I still think we’ll finally realize the value of the river that’s ing down Dundas Street gets more interesting every week.
our defining physical feature. I distantly foresee a Thames You never know when or where London’s next great thing
devoid of drowned shopping carts, bordered by pedestrian is going to happen. Every one of the ones so far has been
and bicycle paths from which the view is increasingly one unlikely, but then someone came along with a bold idea
of natural beauty and facilities for public enjoyment and and the drive to make it happen.
recreation rather than of industrial blight and brownfield
desolation. At the moment we have only one single solitary What do you believe London needs to be a great city?
restaurant focused on the river. Seriously. Think about it. Talk about it. If enough people
get to dreaming the same dream, they might just wake up
I remain optimistic that one day we’ll build the performing one morning and find they’ve become a movement, with a
arts centre some of us have been advocating for at least 40 Project.
years — not a rival to the Grand or to intimate venues like
Aeolian Hall or The Arts Project, but certainly a successor You say pigs don’t fly? I say keep an umbrella handy.
to Centennial Hall and an alternative to the ‘theatre’ periodi-
cally partitioned off in the John Labatt Centre. Sorry, RBC,
but that’s not a theatre, and it’s certainly not we mean by
a performing arts centre; put as much lipstick on it as you
like, it’s still an arena. What do You Think?
When we do get around to building the real thing, I have “What do you believe London needs to be a great
the perfect site. On the river. City Hall envisions spending city?” Join in the discussion on our Facebook page!
a fortune to level the old Victoria Hospital and then selling (Find us on Facebook: The Aeolian)
the land cheap to a developer to recoup some of the cost.
Instead, putting a concert hall and theatre there could be
the best long-term investment London’s ever made. An
eyesore at the moment, the site has the potential to be a
cultural signature spot for the city. Riverfront parkland (cur-
rently neglected) stretches away to east and west. A large
handsome park faces it from across the water to the south.
The No. 1 bus goes right by, There’s parking galore. SoHo,
to the north, is a mixture of modest cottages and large old
houses, with a scattering of low- and high-rise apartment
buildings, the whole of it ripe for gentrification, an easy walk
from downtown. A performing arts centre there could be the
key to moving the entire neighbourhood upmarket.

Meanwhile, I’m delighted at Fanshawe College’s plans to

gradually move many of its arts programs to the city’s core,
investing as much as $40 million buying and renovating
heritage properties to house them. City Hall will spend up to
$10 million partnering with the college to develop the area
Photo collage of Diana Panton by Don Durkee
as an ‘arts precinct’ — a concept proposed decades ago by
9
The Aeolian Hall Newsletter May 2010
The Aeolian: Best Live Venue Raise The Roof
In London (Tell Your Friends!) By Meghan McCready
By Meghan McCready You may have heard, The Aeolian has a leaky roof.

The music scene in London, Ontario, hosts a thicket of
diverse, home-grown talent. In 2005, to celebrate and draw
the attention of the Forest city towards the best of the best
of this thriving musical talent, the Jack Richardson Music
Awards (JRMA) were established. The not-for-profit awards
were named in honour of Jack Richardson, a Juno Award
Winning, Canadian producer, Order of Canada
recipient and Professor of Music Industry Arts at Fanshawe
College. The awards are given yearly to artists in a variety
of categories.
At the London Music Hall this past April, where the JRMA
were held, The Aeolian was awarded its second JRMA for
Best Live Venue. Clark Bryan, Executive Director of
The Aeolian, was thrilled and surprised by the win and
explained that the award “is a testament to all of those
involved [at the Aeolian] including the Board, Management
Team and Volunteers.”
After a few patch jobs performed by The Aeolian
Executive Director, Clark Bryan, himself and dozens of
evaluations and estimates, the verdict is in: The Aeolian
needs a new roof, and it won’t be cheap.
The expected cost of the new roof lands somewhere
between $50, 000 to $150, 000. Unfortunately,
The Aeolian Hall Musical Arts Association doesn’t have that
kind of money laying around, so it will be relying on
donations to raise funds to prevent future performers from
singing in the rain.
Though the dollar amount to raise may be a bit
daunting, The Aeolian team is determined to keep the “fun”
in fundraising and has been planning a host of enjoyable
events and concerts to help pick away at the enormous bill
of the replacement. Look for some of our “Raise the Roof”
concert fundraisers coming up in the few weeks.

The Aeolian boasts a first-class multi-genre performance For more information

hall and meeting space. It is a beautiful designated on how to make
heritage site equipped with a “state of the art” house sound a donation:
system, raised staged and a first class team of info@aeolianhall.ca
committed volunteers. In fact, Aeolian Volunteer and Pro- 519-672-7950
duction Coordinator Catherine McInnes also brought home
an award from the JRMA for Best Contributor in London, Friday May 28
in particular for her work with the Home County Folk Festi- Girls do Boys:
val. “I was extremely honoured” said McInnes, who shared Gina Farrugia,
her award with Bryan, also nominated for the same award. Catherine McInnes,
Jenny Nauta &
For more information about the JRMA visit jrma.ca Jennifer Thorp wsg
pianist Mark Eisenman
& The Aeolian House
Band

Share your Aeolian related news

E-mail it to us at: Tuesday June 8
Songwriters in the
aeolian.graphics@gmail.com Round: Emm Gryner,
Colleen Brown &
Editor/Layout: Meghan McCready Catherine McInnes
Additional Photos: The Aeolian Photo vault, John Teeter
10