ACCOLADES TO…

Walter and Robert Carsen

 The “Accolades to” series showcases York University’s vibrant cultural community by profiling faculty, students, alumni and friends who deserve accolades for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the fine arts. Supporting this creative talent, York’s new Accolade buildings will offer Canada's future artists, scholars and educators a state-of-the-art teaching, exhibition and performance complex in which to learn, create and innovate. Opening in 2005/2006, the Accolade Project reflects York’s stature as a rising cultural powerhouse and key partner in Toronto's cultural renaissance.

 

 

York U honours Carsens for extraordinary contribution to the arts

 

Toronto, June 14, 2005 -- Visionary philanthropist Walter Carsen and his son, internationally renowned stage director Robert Carsen, will be awarded Honorary Doctorates by York University at the convocation ceremony of the Faculty of Fine Arts today in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the arts

 

“Walter and Robert Carsen are a formidable duo,” said Phillip Silver, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at York. “They are both are true originals, ceaselessly creative, passionately committed to the arts. Each in his own way is building a lasting legacy for artists and arts lovers everywhere.”

 

Most of Ontario’s major cultural institutions, and many smaller arts groups, have been beneficiaries of Walter Carsen’s generosity, notes Silver. Over the years, Walter Carsen has given the Art Gallery of Ontario an outstanding collection of prints, paintings and sculptures, as well as his art library. Students, artists and researchers have found an oasis for study and thought in the Walter Carsen Reading Room in the Gallery’s Reference Library. Carsen’s support also enabled the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake to renovate the heritage Royal George Theatre and build a much-needed training, research and creative development centre in its Festival Theatre.

 

While he has contributed to most of Toronto’s dance companies, large and small, his substantial gifts to the National Ballet of Canada in particular have supported such signature productions as “The Taming of the Shrew”, “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Firebird” and an artist-in-residence program to advance the education of young dancers at the National Ballet School. The National Ballet’s new, state-of-the-art home, The Walter Carsen Centre, is named in his honour.

 

To ensure appropriate recognition for Canada’s brightest stars in theatre, music and dance, Walter Carsen recently endowed the Canada Council’s Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts. In addition to his artistic philanthropy, he created the Walter Carsen Fund for the Homeless through the United Way, in response to the suffering he saw on the streets of Toronto.

 

In recognition of his contributions, Walter Carsen has been honoured as an Officer of the Order of Canada and with the Ramon Hnatyshyn Award for Volunteerism in the Performing Arts and the Philanthropic Statement Award from the Montblanc de la Culture in Paris. A few years ago, he was recognized as one of the world’s top philanthropists when the International Society of the Performing Arts Foundation presented him with their Angel Award.

 

While Walter Carsen works behind the scenes to help others fulfill their dreams, his son, Robert Carsen, brings his artistic vision to life upon the stage.

 

A director for opera and theatre who embarked on his career path as a theatre student at York University, Robert Carsen has built an international reputation. His inventive stagings have contributed to an exciting revitalization of the art form.

 

Starting with his early work at Glyndebourne in England, Robert Carsen’s groundbreaking productions have been seen on all the great opera stages of Europe: La Scala in Milan; the Salzburg Festival; the English and Welsh National Operas; Paris, Barcelona, Hamburg, Monte Carlo, Munich, Geneva and many other cities. He directed a seven-part Puccini cycle for the Royal Flemish Opera in Belgium and the Verdi-Shakespeare trilogy (Macbeth, Falstaff, Otello) as well as a new Ring cycle for Cologne. Last fall, he was honoured by being invited to direct a new production of La Traviata, conducted by Lorin Maazel, for the reopening of Teatro La Fenice, the legendary opera house of Venice.

 

On this continent, Robert Carsen’s unconventional stagings of both traditional and contemporary operas have enthralled audiences at The Met in New York and in Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Washington, St. Louis and Santa Fe. He made Canadian musical history with his world premiere production of Mario and the Magician by Harry Somers, presented by the Canadian Opera Company in 1992.

 

In addition to his opera credits, Robert Carsen has directed many music/theatre productions, including the world premiere of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical The Beautiful Game in London’s West End, a U.K. touring production of Sunset Boulevard, and a recording of Stravinsky’s A Soldier’s Tale starring Sting, Vanessa Redgrave and Ian McKellen. He created the solo show Nomade for German singer Ute Lemper, and wrote and directed Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show for the 1992 opening of Disneyland Paris, where it is still playing.

 

He is currently in rehearsals for his next production, a new interpretation of the opera Il Trovatore by Verdi set on the world’s largest floating stage at the Bregenz Festival in Austria.

 

Robert Carsen has won many accolades for his work. Among his honours are the Italian, London, Japan, German and French Critics' Prizes; two Olivier Award nominations; and the Grand Prix de la Presse Musicale Internationale. He was named a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France in 1996.

 

 

York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city.  The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 180,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 21 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries.  This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges.

 

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For further information, please contact:
Melissa Hughes, Media Relations, York University, 416-736-2100 x 22097/ mehughes@yorku.ca