The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario)
September 27, 2005 Tuesday Final Edition

Armenian was force behind Centre in the Square

Howard Dyck

In Lianne Elliott’s Sept. 24 retrospective of the 25-year history of
the Centre in the Square, 25 Years Of Entertainment; Region’s
Cultural Gem Celebrates A Milestone, she refers to Raffi Armenian as
a “great centre supporter.” That is surely the understatement of the
year.

In fact, Armenian, with the support of strong community leaders, was
the galvanizing force behind the construction of the centre.

Especially important is the fact that while the usual nay-sayers were
stalling plans to begin construction, Armenian stuck to his guns.

The toll taken by particularly high inflation during the delay caused
by political bickering resulted in a facility not quite what had
originally been envisioned.

However, Armenian tenaciously insisted that the acoustics of the
auditorium and the stage facilities would not be compromised. It is
entirely appropriate that this peerless concert hall is named after
him.

The article quite rightly describes the centre as one of the best
concert halls in the world.

But in its pop-dominated list of performers who have appeared there,
it neglects to mention some of the world’s greatest musical artists
who have graced the centre’s stage: tenors Jon Vickers and Ben
Heppner, conductor Lorin Maazel and the Munich Philharmonic
Orchestra, violinist/conductor Yehudi Menuhin, contralto Maureen
Forrester, soprano Measha Brueggergosman, the Arnold Schoenberg Choir
of Vienna, to name just a very few.

Howard Dyck
Artistic Director and Conductor
Kitchener Waterloo Philharmonic Choir