Where Toronto learned to rock

Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Eaton Auditorium became a cultural hub for music and performances in Toronto. The auditorium was the former home of the Eaton Operatic Society. Made up of Eaton employees, the Society staged regular performances at the Auditorium, often by Gilbert and Sullivan.

By the late 1940s, the Auditorium began to feature modern music performances. In October 1946, American folk and blues musician Josh White opened the Musical Arts series at the Auditorium. White is believed to have been the first Black male artist to sell a million albums with his 1945 hit “One Meatball.”

In 1949, Wynonie Harris performed what is considered to be Toronto’s first-ever rock and roll concert at the Auditorium. Although the concert was formally described as jazz, the newspapers described Harris as “The Good Rockin’ Man”, a reference to his 1948 hit “Good Rockin’ Tonight.”

Glenn Gould’s favourite recording spot

The legacy of Eaton Auditorium is deeply tied to Glenn Gould, one of the most celebrated classical pianists of the twentieth century. At the age of 14, Gould made his professional debut at the Auditorium, performing in the Casavant Society organ series on December 12, 1945.

By the 1970s, Gould was a recognized Canadian icon in music. In love with the Eaton Auditorium’s sound, it became his favourite recording spot for the next decade.

Gould’s last recording at the Auditorium was for a new version of Bach’s Italian Concerto in F Major in late August 1981, one year before his death in October 1982.

“I found no where else on the local scene that suited my needs, though if my arm was twisted – which is not the way one should have it when one is playing the piano – I suppose I would go somewhere else.”

—Glenn Gould

The Carlu

The Eaton Auditorium closed to the public in early 1977. Although the closure was intended to be temporary, the Auditorium never re-opened and became entangled in a decades-long battle to save it from demolition. An $8.5-million restoration of the Auditorium began in 2001.

Opened in 2003, the Auditorium’s name was changed to the Carlu to reflect its original architect, Jacques Carlu. Today, the Carlu operates largely as a private events space and, in recent years, has been home to the Polaris Music Prize and the Heritage Toronto Awards.