Visitors to the National Music Centre in the East Village will soon encounter an improved ticketing system, additional recording studios and new spaces for artists and students, following the federal government’s announcement of its funding commitment to the final stage of construction.
On Thursday, the feds announced $5 million in funding had been allotted to the centre as the government continues its effort to encourage the development of the arts in Calgary.
“We are looking at how arts builds community, how it attracts talent to cities like Calgary, how it allows people to tell their story,” said Kent Hehr, Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre, following the funding announcement. “Our government is committed to projects like that around Calgary.”
The final phase of the NMC and Studio Bell will see improvements to the building’s functionality.
"That kind of support allows us to deliver our programming," explained Andrew Mosker, president and CEO of the NMC. "Artists, students and music fans have been impacted by this very generous grant from the Government of Canada and will continue to be impacted."
In its first year, approximately 100,000 people visited the NMC, an attraction that cost roughly $191 million to build, including more than 12,000 students. The building hosted more than 700 events in its first 12 months of operations.
Studio Bell supports the arts in numerous ways including its artists-in-residence program, renting its studio space and offering the use of its facilities to post-secondary institutions.
With files from CTV's Brad MacLeod
